Novel 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 and 49933 molecules and uses therefor

ABSTRACT

The invention provides isolated nucleic acids molecules, designated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 and 49933 nucleic acid molecules. The invention also provides antisense nucleic acid molecules, recombinant expression vectors containing 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecules, host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced, and nonhuman transgenic animals in which a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene has been introduced or disrupted. The invention still further provides isolated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins, fusion proteins, antigenic peptides and anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies. Diagnostic and therapeutic methods utilizing compositions of the invention are also provided.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/445,606, filed Jun. 2, 2006 (pending), which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/377,072, filed Feb. 27, 2003(abandoned), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/895,860, filed Jun. 29, 2001 (abandoned), which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/215,370, filed Jun.29, 2000 (abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/377,072 isalso a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/723,806, filed Nov. 28, 2000 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,185), whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/187,455,filed Mar. 7, 2000 (abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/377,072 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/843,297, filed Apr. 25, 2001 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,667),which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.60/199,801, filed Apr. 26, 2000 (abandoned). U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/377,072 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/861,801, filed May 21, 2001 (abandoned), whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/205,508,filed May 19, 2000 (abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/377,072 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/816,494, filed Mar. 23, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,664,089),which claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,419,filed Mar. 22, 2001 (abandoned), which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/191,858, filed Mar. 24, 2000(abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/377,072 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/888,911,filed Jun. 25, 2001 (abandoned), which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/213,688, filed Jun. 23, 2000(abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/377,072 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/908,664,filed Jul. 17, 2001 (abandoned), which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/218,675, filed Jul. 17, 2000(abandoned). U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/377,072 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/935,291,filed Aug. 21, 2001 (abandoned), which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/250,932, filed Nov. 30, 2000(abandoned) and of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/226,504,filed Aug. 21, 2000 (abandoned). The entire contents of each of theabove-referenced patent applications are incorporated herein by thisreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The enormous variety of biochemical reactions that comprise life arenearly all mediated by a series of biological catalysts known asenzymes. Enzymes are proteins which possess specific properties thatenable them to catalyze a series of reactions, allowing metabolicpathways to degrade and to reconstruct products needed to maintainorganisms. By the binding of substrates through geometrically andphysically complementary reactions, enzymes are stereospecific inbinding substrates as well as in catalyzing reactions. The stringencyfor this stereospecificity varies as some enzymes are more specific tothe identity of their substrates, while others are capable of bindingmultiple substrates and can catalyze numerous types of reactions.

Examples of enzymes include, for example, carboxylases, fatty aciddesaturases, serine/threonine dehydratases, hexokinases, peptidyl tRNAhydrolases, dual specificity phosphatases, phospholipases andtransporters. Such enzymes have the ability to, for example: (1)hydrolyze an ester linkage and/or liberate the free acid form of asubstrate, e.g., hydrolysis of a triglyceride and/or liberation of freefatty acid(s) and glycerol; (2) catalyze the formation of a double bond,preferably, at positions up to 9 carbons from the carboxyl end of amolecule, e.g., a fatty acid, such as a polyunsaturated fatty acid; (3)catalyze the phosphorylation of a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and aketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine); (4) catalyze sugar metabolism; (5) transfer a phosphatefrom a phosphate donor (e.g., ATP) to a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses anda ketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine) to form a phosphorylated sugar, e.g., glucose-6-phosphate;(6) catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a tyrosineresidue in a protein target, e.g., a growth factor receptor; (7)catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a serine orthreonine residue in a protein e.g., a growth factor receptor; (8)hydrolyze covalent bond between peptide and tRNA within peptidyl-tRNAs;(9) catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate(PIP2) producing diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; (10)transport of a substrate or target molecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion) from oneside of a biological membrane to the other; and (11) be phosphorylatedor dephosphorylated. Accordingly, there exists a need to identifyadditional human enzymes, for example, for use as disease markers and astargets for identifying various therapeutic modulators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery ofnovel nucleic acid molecules and proteins encoded by such nucleic acidmolecules, referred to herein as “25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933”. The 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleic acid and protein molecules of the present invention are usefulas modulating agents in regulating a variety of cellular processes,e.g., including but not limited to cell proliferation, differentiation,growth and division. In particular, these nucleic acid molecules will beadvantageous in the regulation of any cellular function, uncontrolledproliferation and differentiation, such as in cases of cancer.Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides isolated nucleicacid molecules encoding 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins or biologically activeportions thereof, as well as nucleic acid fragments suitable as primersor hybridization probes for the detection of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-encodingnucleic acids.

The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA encoding 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, and the aminoacid sequence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides are depicted in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Sequences of the invention cDNA Protein Coding ATCC Gene SEQ IDSEQ ID Region Accession Name NO: NO: SEQ ID NO: Number 25869 1 2 3 259347 8 9 26335 16 17 18 50365 20 21 22 21117 25 26 27 38692 28 29 30 4650835 36 37 16816 39 40 41 16839 42 43 44 49937 63 64 65 49931 67 68 6949933 70 71 72

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention features a nucleic acidmolecule which encodes a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or polypeptide, e.g.,a biologically active portion of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. In apreferred embodiment, the isolated nucleic acid molecule encodes apolypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21,26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71. In other embodiments, the inventionprovides isolated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecules having thenucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25,27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72. In stillother embodiments, the invention provides nucleic acid molecules thatare substantially identical (e.g., naturally occurring allelic variants)to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20,22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72. Inother embodiments, the invention provides a nucleic acid molecule whichhybridizes under a stringent hybridization condition as described hereinto a nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ IDNO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44,63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, wherein the nucleic acid encodes a full length25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein or an active fragment thereof.

In a related aspect, the invention further provides nucleic acidconstructs which include a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid moleculedescribed herein. In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid molecules ofthe invention are operatively linked to native or heterologousregulatory sequences. Also included are vectors and host cellscontaining the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecules of the inventione.g., vectors and host cells suitable for producing polypeptides.

In another related aspect, the invention provides nucleic acid fragmentssuitable as primers or hybridization probes for the detection of 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-encoding nucleic acids.

In still another related aspect, isolated nucleic acid molecules thatare antisense to a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 encoding nucleic acid molecule areprovided.

In another aspect, the invention features 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides,and biologically active or antigenic fragments thereof that are useful,e.g., as reagents or targets in assays applicable to treatment anddiagnosis of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disorders. In anotherembodiment, the invention provides 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides having a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 activity.

In other embodiments, the invention provides 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides,e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide having the amino acid sequence shownin SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71; an aminoacid sequence that is substantially identical to the amino acid sequenceshown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71; or anamino acid sequence encoded by a nucleic acid molecule having anucleotide sequence which hybridizes under a stringent hybridizationcondition as described herein to a nucleic acid molecule comprising thenucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28,30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, wherein thenucleic acid encodes a full length 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or an activefragment thereof.

In a related aspect, the invention further provides nucleic acidconstructs which include a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid moleculedescribed herein.

In a related aspect, the invention provides 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides orfragments operatively linked to non-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides to formfusion proteins.

In another aspect, the invention features antibodies and antigen-bindingfragments thereof, that react with, or more preferably specifically orselectively bind 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides.

In another aspect, the invention provides methods of screening forcompounds that modulate the expression or activity of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptides or nucleic acids.

In still another aspect, the invention provides a process for modulating25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 polypeptide or nucleic acid expression or activity, e.g.,using the compounds identified in the screens described herein. Incertain embodiments, the methods involve treatment of conditions relatedto aberrant activity or expression of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides ornucleic acids, such as conditions or disorders involving aberrant ordeficient 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 expression. Examples of such disorders include,but are not limited to cellular proliferative and/or differentiativedisorders, angiogenic disorders, brain disorders, neurologicaldisorders, blood vessel disorders, breast disorders, colon disorders,kidney disorders, lung disorders, ovarian disorders, prostate disorders,hematopoeitic disorders, pancreatic disorders, skeletal muscledisorders, skin disorders, hormonal disorders, immune e.g.,inflammatory, disorders, cardiovascular disorders, lipid homeostasisdisorders, endothelial cell disorders, liver disorders, disorders of thesmall intestine, pain disorders, viral diseases, metabolic disorders,bone metabolism disorders or platelet disorders.

The invention also provides assays for determining the activity of orthe presence or absence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides or nucleic acidmolecules in a biological sample, including for disease diagnosis.

In a further aspect, the invention provides assays for determining thepresence or absence of a genetic alteration in a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule, including for disease diagnosis.

In another aspect, the invention features a two dimensional array havinga plurality of addresses, each address of the plurality beingpositionally distinguishable from each other address of the plurality,and each address of the plurality having a unique capture probe, e.g., anucleic acid or peptide sequence. At least one address of the pluralityhas a capture probe that recognizes a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecule. In oneembodiment, the capture probe is a nucleic acid, e.g., a probecomplementary to a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid sequence. In anotherembodiment, the capture probe is a polypeptide, e.g., an antibodyspecific for 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides. Also featured is a method ofanalyzing a sample by contacting the sample to the aforementioned arrayand detecting binding of the sample to the array.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description, and from the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Human 25869 (COE-1)

The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery ofnovel carboxylesterase family members, referred to herein as “25869”,“Carboxylesterase” or “COE-1” nucleic acid and protein molecules. Thesenovel molecules are capable of hydrolyzing ester-, thioester-, andamide-containing compounds (e.g., triglycerides) to their respectivefree acids, are upregulated in marmoset monkeys treated withcholestyramine, a cholesterol and/or lipid lowering drug, and play arole in or function in a variety of cellular processes, including lipidhomeostasis, hydrolysis of endogenous and/or exogenous compounds;detoxification and/or activation of drugs, pro-drugs, toxins, and/orcarcinogens; intra- or inter-cellular signaling; gene expression; and/orcellular growth and/or differentiation.

Carboxylesterases comprise a family of enzymes which catalyze thehydrolysis of a variety of ester-, thioester-, and amide-containingchemicals, as well as drugs (including prodrugs) to their respectivefree acids. Carboxylesterases catalyze the hydrolysis of endogenouscompounds such as short- and long-chain acyl-glycerols, long-chainacylcarnitine, and long-chain acyl-CoA esters (Satoh, T. and Hosokawa,M. (1998) Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 38:257-88). The generalenzymatic reaction that carboxylesterases catalyze is:

a carboxylic ester+H₂O<=>an alcohol+a carboxylic anion

The hydrolytic activity of carboxylesterases is dependent on thepresence of a “catalytic triad” of amino acid residues that arenon-contiguous in the primary sequence but adjacent in the tertiarystructure (Ollis, D. L. et al. (1992) Protein Eng. 5:197-211; Cygler, M.et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:366-382). In carboxylesterases, thecatalytic triad residues are Ser/His/Glu (Satoh and Hosokawa (1998)supra; Oakeshott, J. G. et al. (1999) Bioessays 21:1031-1042).

The first step of the hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by carboxylesterasesliberates the alcohol moiety of the substrate and forms a covalentlinkage between the remaining acid moiety of the substrate and theserine residue of the catalytic triad. The second step cleaves thislinkage and liberates the acid moiety of the substrate, largely throughthe action of the histidine residue of the catalytic triad (Oakeshott etal. (1999) supra).

While many well-studied carboxylesterases have catalytic triads, severalmembers of the carboxyl/cholinesterase multigene family have beenreported to lack a functional catalytic triad (Hortsch, M. et al. (1990)Development 110:1327-1340; Auld, V. J. (1995) Cell 81:757-767;Ichtchenko, K. et al. (1995) Cell 81:435-443; Oakeshott, J. G. et al.(1995) Trends. Ecol. Evol. 10:103-110) and, thus, to lackcarboxylesterase activity. However, some of these enzymes haveligand-binding functions involved in signal transduction.

Carboxylesterases are responsible for the hydrolysis of many exogenouscompounds, resulting in both the inactivation of drugs and theactivation of pro-drugs (Satoh, T. (1987) Reviews in Biochem. Toxicol.8:155-81; Heymann, E. (1980) Enzymatic Basis of Detoxification2:291-323; Heymann, E. (1982) Metabolic Basis of Detoxification1:229-45; Leinweber, F.-J. (1987) Drug Metab. Rev. 18:379-439). Humanliver and plasma carboxylesterase converts lovastatin to its active form(Tang, B. K. and Kalow, W. (1995) Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 47:449-51)and converts an inactive prodrug form of prostaglandin F2α to its activemetabolite (Cheng-Bennett, A. et al. (1994) Br. J. Opthalmol.78:560-67). A significant number of drugs and endogenous compounds aresubstrates of carboxylesterases, including dipivefrin hydrochloride(Nakamura, M. et al. (1993) Ophthalmic Res. 25:46-51), carbonates(McCracken, N. W. et al. (1993) Biochem. Pharmacol. 45:31-36; Huang, T.L. et al. (1993) Pharmacol. Res. 10:639-48), cocaine (Dean, R. A. (1995)J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. (1995) 275:965-71; Brzezinski, M. R. et al.(1994) Biochem. Pharmacol. 48:1747-55), salicylates (White, K. N. et al.(1994) Biochem. Soc. Trans. 22:220S), capsaicin (Park, Y. H. and Lee, S.S. (1994) Biochem. Mol. Biol. Int. 34:351-60), palmitoyl-coenzyme A(Hosokawa, M. et al. (1987) Mol. Pharmacol. 31:579-84; Hosokawa, M. etal. (1990) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 277:219-27; Tsujita, T. and Okuda, H.(1993) J. Lipid Res. 34:1773-81; Mentlein, R. et al. (1984) Arch.Biochem. Biophys. 234:612-21), haloperidol (Nambu, K. et al. (1987)Biochem. Pharmacol. 36:1715-22), imidapril (Yamada, Y. et al. (1992)Arzneimittel Forsch. 42:507-12), pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Dueker, S. R.et al. (1992) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 117:116-21; Dueker, S. R. et al.(1995) Arch. Toxicol. 69:725-28; Dueker, S. R. et al. (1992) Drug.Metab. Dispos. 20:275-80), and steroids (Lund-Pero, M. et al. (1994)Clin. Chim. Acta. 224:9-20).

The novel COE-1 molecules of the instant invention are members of thelipase subfamily of carboxylesterases and show significant homology tomouse and rat lipases. Analysis of the activity of a recentlycharacterized hepatic microsomal lipase, ES-10, showed that increasedexpression of ES-10 in hepatic cell lines resulted in an increase in therate of depletion of intracellular triacylglycerol stores, indicatingthat ES-10 is capable of hydrolysis of stored triacylglycerol. Inaddition, hepatocytes expressing ES-10 exhibited increased levels ofapo-B 100 in the VLDL fraction (Lehner, R. and Vance, D. E. (1999)Biochem. J. 343:1-10; Robbi, M. et al. (1990) Biochem. J. 269:451-458).

Because the COE-1 molecules of the instant invention show significanthomology to ES-10, COE-1 may function as an intracellular lipase, theactivity of which may contribute to the mobilization of intracellulartriacylglycerol stores, which can be used for lipoprotein assembly.Accordingly, modulation of COE-1 activity may result in the modulationof serum lipoprotein and/or triglyceride levels. For example, inhibitionof COE-1 activity may have positive effects on serum lipoprotein andtriglyceride profiles. In view of the foregoing activities, the COE-1molecules of the present invention provide novel diagnostic targets andtherapeutic agents to control carboxylesterase-associated disorders.

As used herein, a “carboxylesterase-associated disorder” includes adisorder, disease or condition which is caused or characterized by amisregulation (e.g., downregulation or upregulation) of carboxylesteraseactivity. Carboxylesterase-associated disorders can detrimentally affectcellular functions such as lipid homeostasis; cellular proliferation,growth, differentiation, or migration; inter- or intra-cellularcommunication; tissue function, such as cardiac function ormusculoskeletal function; systemic responses in an organism, such asnervous system responses, hormonal responses (e.g., insulin response),or immune responses; and protection of cells from toxic compounds (e.g.,carcinogens, toxins, or mutagens).

In a preferred embodiment, a carboxylesterase-associated disorder is a“lipid homeostasis disorder”. Other examples ofcarboxylesterase-associated disorders include cardiovascular disorders,neurological (CNS) disorders, cellular proliferation, growth,differentiation, or migration disorders, hormonal disorders, immunedisorders and disorders affecting tissues in which COE-1 protein isexpressed, e.g., the kidney, colon, liver, brain, small intestine, andskeletal muscle, as assessed by TaqMan analysis.

Members of the COE-1 family of proteins, for example, include at leastone “carboxylesterase domain” in the protein or corresponding nucleicacid molecule. As used herein, the term “carboxylesterase domain”includes a protein domain having at least about 440-600 amino acidresidues and a bit score of at least 440 when compared against acarboxylesterase Hidden Markov Model (HMM), e.g., PFAM Accession NumberPF00135. Preferably, a carboxylesterase domain includes a protein havingan amino acid sequence of about 460-580, 480-560, 500-540, or morepreferably about 519 amino acid residues, and a bit score of at least470, 480, 490, 500, or more preferably, 516.6. To identify the presenceof a carboxylesterase domain in a COE-1 protein, and make thedetermination that a protein of interest has a particular profile, theamino acid sequence of the protein is searched against a database ofknown protein domains (e.g., the HMM database). The carboxylesterasedomain (HMM) has been assigned the PFAM Accession number PF00135 (seethe PFAM website, available online through Washington University in St.Louis). A search was performed against the HMM database resulting in theidentification of a carboxylesterase domain in the amino acid sequenceof human COE-1 at about residues 5-523 of SEQ ID NO:2.

A description of the Pfam database can be found in Sonhammer et al.(1997) Proteins 28:405-420, and a detailed description of HMMs can befound, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990) Methods Enzymol.183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531; andStultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

In another embodiment, a COE-1 family member of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “catalytic triad” in the proteinor corresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, the term“catalytic triad” includes a group of three amino acid residues whichare non-contiguous in the primary sequence but which are adjacent in thetertiary structure of a protein and which actively participate in anenzymatic reaction catalyzed by a carboxylesterase. In thecarboxylesterases of the present invention, the catalytic triad residuesare typically serine, histidine, and glutamic acid (Satoh and Hosokawa(1998) supra; Oakeshott et al. (1999) supra). The amino acid residues ofthe catalytic triad may also be referred to herein as the “catalyticresidues” (e.g., the “catalytic serine” or “catalytic histidine”) or the“active site residues” (e.g., the “active site serine” or “active sitehistidine”). In a preferred embodiment, the serine residue of acatalytic triad of the COE-1 molecules of the present invention iscontained within a catalytic serine motif, as defined herein. In afurther preferred embodiment, the serine residue of a catalytic triad ofthe COE-1 molecules of the present invention is contained within acarboxylesterases type-B serine active site. An alignment of the COE-1amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:2), using the GAP program in the GCGsoftware package (Blosum 62 matrix) and a gap weight of 12 and a lengthweight of 4, with a mouse liver carboxylesterase precursor (GenBankAccession No. Q63880; SEQ ID NO:4), identified two of the catalytictriad residues as serine²⁰⁵ and histidine⁴²⁶ of human COE-1.

In another embodiment, a COE-1 family member of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “catalytic serine motif” in theprotein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a“catalytic serine motif” includes a group of five amino acid residueshaving the consensus sequence G-X-S-X-G (SEQ ID NO:6), wherein Xindicates any amino acid residue. Catalytic serine motifs are found inall known lipases (Lehner, R. and Vance, D. E. (1999) Biochem. J.343:1-10). In a preferred embodiment, a catalytic serine motif includesa catalytic serine, as defined herein. In a further preferredembodiment, a catalytic serine motif is contained within acarboxylesterases type-B serine active site. An alignment of the COE-1amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:2), using the GAP program in the GCGsoftware package (Blosum 62 matrix) and a gap weight of 12 and a lengthweight of 4, with a mouse liver carboxylesterase precursor (GenBankAccession No. Q63880; SEQ ID NO:4), identified a catalytic serine motifat about residues 203-207 of human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2).

In another embodiment, a COE-1 protein of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “carboxylesterases type-B serineactive site” in the protein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. Acarboxylesterases type-B serine active site functions as part of thecatalytic active site of a carboxylesterase. The carboxylesterasestype-B serine active site has been assigned ProSite Accession NumberPS00122. To identify the presence of a carboxylesterases type-B serineactive site in a COE-1 protein, and to make the determination that aprotein of interest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence ofthe protein may be searched against a database of known protein domains(e.g., the ProSite database) using the default parameters (availableonline through the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB)). In apreferred embodiment, a carboxylesterases type-B serine active sitecomprises a catalytic serine motif, which further comprises a catalyticserine. A search was performed against the ProSite database resulting inthe identification of a carboxylesterases type-B serine active site inthe amino acid sequence of human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2) at about residues192-207.

In another embodiment, a COE-1 family member of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of an “ER retention signal” in theprotein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, an “ERretention signal” includes a group of four amino acid residues locatedat the C-terminus of a polypeptide sequence which targets a protein tothe lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. Based on homology to otherproteins known to have ER retention signals, an ER retention signal wasidentified in the amino acid sequence of human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2) atabout residues 544-547.

Isolated proteins of the present invention, preferably COE-1 proteins,have an amino acid sequence sufficiently homologous to the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, or are encoded by a nucleotide sequencesufficiently homologous to SEQ ID NO:1 or 3. As used herein, the term“sufficiently homologous” refers to a first amino acid or nucleotidesequence which contains a sufficient or minimum number of identical orequivalent (e.g., an amino acid residue which has a similar side chain)amino acid residues or nucleotides to a second amino acid or nucleotidesequence such that the first and second amino acid or nucleotidesequences share common structural domains or motifs and/or a commonfunctional activity. For example, amino acid or nucleotide sequenceswhich share common structural domains having at least 50%, 55%, 60%,65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 85%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%,99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, 99.9% or morehomology or identity across the amino acid sequences of the domains andcontain at least one and preferably two structural domains or motifs,are defined herein as sufficiently homologous. Furthermore, amino acidor nucleotide sequences which share at least 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%,75%, 80%, 85%, 85%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.1%,99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, 99.9% or more homologyor identity and share a common functional activity are defined herein assufficiently homologous.

In a preferred embodiment, a COE-1 protein includes at least one or moreof the following domains, motifs, and/or amino acid residues: acarboxylesterase domain, a catalytic triad, a catalytic serine, acatalytic histidine, a catalytic serine motif, a carboxylesterasestype-B serine active site, and/or an ER retention signal, and has anamino acid sequence at least about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%,85%, 85%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%,99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, 99.9% or more homologous or identicalto the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2. In yet another preferredembodiment, a COE-1 protein includes at least one or more of thefollowing domains, motifs, and/or amino acid residues: acarboxylesterase domain, a catalytic triad, a catalytic serine, acatalytic histidine, a catalytic serine motif, a carboxylesterasestype-B serine active site, and/or an ER retention signal, and is encodedby a nucleic acid molecule having a nucleotide sequence which hybridizesunder stringent hybridization conditions to a complement of a nucleicacid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or 3. Inanother preferred embodiment, a COE-1 protein includes at least one ormore of the following domains, motifs, and/or amino acid residues: acarboxylesterase domain, a catalytic triad, a catalytic serine, acatalytic histidine, a catalytic serine motif, a carboxylesterasestype-B serine active site, and/or an ER retention signal, and has aCOE-1 activity.

As used interchangeably herein, a “COE-1 activity”, “biological activityof COE-1” or “functional activity of COE-1”, includes an activityexerted or mediated by a COE-1 protein, polypeptide or nucleic acidmolecule on a COE-1 responsive cell or on a COE-1 substrate, asdetermined in vivo or in vitro, according to standard techniques. In oneembodiment, a COE-1 activity is a direct activity, such as anassociation with a COE-1 target molecule. As used herein, a “targetmolecule” or “binding partner” is a molecule with which a COE-1 proteinbinds or interacts in nature, such that COE-1-mediated function isachieved. A COE-1 target molecule can be a non-COE-1 molecule or a COE-1protein or polypeptide of the present invention. In an exemplaryembodiment, a COE-1 target molecule is a COE-1 substrate or ligand,e.g., a triglyceride. A COE-1 activity can also be an indirect activity,such as a cellular signaling activity mediated by interaction of theCOE-1 protein with a COE-1 substrate or ligand.

In a preferred embodiment, a COE-1 activity is at least one of thefollowing activities: (i) interaction with a COE-1 substrate or targetmolecule (e.g., a triglyceride); (ii) conversion of a COE-1 substrate ortarget molecule to a product (e.g., hydrolysis of an ester linkageand/or liberation of the free acid form of the substrate, e.g.,hydrolysis of a triglyceride and/or liberation of free fatty acid(s) andglycerol); (iii) modulation of lipolysis; (iv) modulation of lipiduptake by a cell (e.g., a liver cell); (v) modulation of lipid synthesisand/or secretion; (vi) modulation of intracellular lipid release and/orturnover; (vii) modulation of intracellular lipid and/or triglyceridemass; (viii) modulation of secreted lipid and/or triglyceride mass; (ix)modulation of serum lipid, lipoprotein, and/or triglyceride levels; (x)modulation of lipid homeostasis; (xi) direct or indirect modulation oflipoprotein assembly; (xii) interaction with and/or hydrolysis of asecond non-COE-1 protein; (xiii) activation/deactivation of a COE-1substrate or target molecule (e.g., activation/deactivation of acarcinogen); (xiv) metabolism and/or detoxification of a drug; (xv)modulation of cellular signaling and/or gene transcription (e.g., eitherdirectly or indirectly); and/or (xvi) modulation of cellularproliferation and/or differentiation.

Isolation of the Human 25869 or COE-1 cDNA

The invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery of genesencoding novel members of the carboxylesterase family. The entiresequence of human clone Fbh25869 was determined and found to contain anopen reading frame termed human “25869” or “COE-1.”

The nucleotide sequence encoding the human COE-1 is set forth as SEQ IDNO:1. The human COE-1 gene, which is approximately 2087 nucleotides inlength, encodes a protein having a molecular weight of approximately60.2 kD and which is approximately 547 amino acid residues in length asset forth as SEQ ID NO:2. The coding region (open reading frame) of SEQID NO:1 is set forth as SEQ ID NO:3. Clone Fbh25869 comprises the codingregion of human COE-1.

Analysis of the Human 25869 or COE-1 Molecules

The amino acid sequence of human COE-1 was analyzed using the programPSORT (available online) to predict the localization of the proteinswithin the cell. This program assesses the presence of differenttargeting and localization of amino acid sequences within the querysequence. The results of the analyses show that human COE-1 may belocalized to the cytoplasm, to the nucleus, or to the mitochondria.

Searches of the amino acid sequence of human COE-1 were performedagainst the HMM database. These searches resulted in the identificationof a “carboxylesterase domain” at about residues 5-523 of SEQ ID NO:2(score=516.6).

Searches of the amino acid sequence of human COE-1 were furtherperformed against the Prosite database. These searches resulted in theidentification in the amino acid sequence of human COE-1 of a potentialN-glycosylation site and a number of potential protein kinase Cphosphorylation sites, casein kinase II phosphorylation sites, andN-myristoylation sites. These searches further resulted in theidentification of a carboxylesterases type-B serine active site at aboutresidues 192-207 of SEQ ID NO:2.

A “catalytic triad” was also identified in the human COE-1. An alignmentof human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2) with a mouse liver carboxylesteraseprecursor (GenBank Accession No. Q63880; SEQ ID NO:4), identified two ofthe catalytic triad amino acids, namely Ser²⁰⁵ and His⁴²⁶ within SEQ IDNO:2.

A “catalytic serine motif” was also identified in the human COE-1. Analignment of human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2), using the GAP program in the GCGsoftware package (Blosum 62 matrix) and a gap weight of 12 and a lengthweight of 4, with a mouse liver carboxylesterase precursor (GenBankAccession No. Q63880; SEQ ID NO:4), identified a catalytic serine motifat about residues 203-207 of human COE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2).

An “ER retention signal” was also identified in the human COE-1. Basedon homology to other proteins known to have ER retention signals, an ERretention signal was identified in the amino acid sequence of humanCOE-1 (SEQ ID NO:2) at about residues 544-547.

Global alignments (using the GAP program in the GCG software package(Blosum 62 matrix) and a gap weight of 12 and a length weight of 4) ofthe human COE-1 amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:2) revealed that humanCOE-1 has a 67.3% identity with the amino acid sequence of a mouse livercarboxylesterase precursor (SEQ ID NO:4; GenBank Accession No. Q63880)and a 46% identity with the amino acid sequence of rat livercarboxylesterase 10 precursor (also referred to as ES-10; SEQ ID NO:5;GenBank Accession No. P16303).

Tissue Distribution of COE-1 mRNA

This example describes the tissue distribution of human COE-1 mRNA, asmay be determined using in situ hybridization analysis. For in situanalysis, various tissues, e.g., tissues obtained from brain, are firstfrozen on dry ice. Ten-micrometer-thick sections of the tissues arepostfixed with 4% formaldehyde in DEPC-treated 1× phosphate-bufferedsaline at room temperature for 10 minutes before being rinsed twice inDEPC 1× phosphate-buffered saline and once in 0.1 M triethanolamine-HCl(pH 8.0). Following incubation in 0.25% acetic anhydride-0.1 Mtriethanolamine-HCl for 10 minutes, sections are rinsed in DEPC 2×SSC(1×SSC is 0.15 M NaCl plus 0.015 M sodium citrate). Tissue is thendehydrated through a series of ethanol washes, incubated in 100%chloroform for 5 minutes, and then rinsed in 100% ethanol for 1 minuteand 95% ethanol for 1 minute and allowed to air dry.

Hybridizations are performed with ³⁵S-radiolabeled (5×10⁷ cpm/ml) cRNAprobes. Probes are incubated in the presence of a solution containing600 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris (pH 7.5), 1 mM EDTA, 0.01% sheared salmon spermDNA, 0.01% yeast tRNA, 0.05% yeast total RNA type X1, 1×Denhardt'ssolution, 50% formamide, 10% dextran sulfate, 100 mM dithiothreitol,0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 0.1% sodium thiosulfate for 18hours at 55° C.

After hybridization, slides are washed with 2×SSC. Sections are thensequentially incubated at 37° C. in TNE (a solution containing 10 mMTris-HCl (pH 7.6), 500 mM NaCl, and 1 mM EDTA), for 10 minutes, in TNEwith 10 μg of RNase A per ml for 30 minutes, and finally in TNE for 10minutes. Slides are then rinsed with 2×SSC at room temperature, washedwith 2×SSC at 50° C. for 1 hour, washed with 0.2×SSC at 55° C. for 1hour, and 0.2×SSC at 60° C. for 1 hour. Sections are then dehydratedrapidly through serial ethanol-0.3 M sodium acetate concentrationsbefore being air dried and exposed to Kodak Biomax MR scientific imagingfilm for 24 hours and subsequently dipped in NB-2 photoemulsion andexposed at 4° C. for 7 days before being developed and counter stained.

Analysis of Human COE-1 Expression Using the TaqMan Procedure

TAQMAN™ analysis on a panel of: (1) normal artery; (2) normal vein; (3)aortic smooth muscle cells—early; (4) coronary smooth muscle cells; (5)human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)—static; (6) humanumbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)—shear; (7) normal heart; (8)heart—congestive heart failure (CHF); (9) kidney; (10) skeletal muscle;(11) normal adipose tissue; (12) pancreas; (13) primary osteoblasts;(14) differentiated osteoclasts; (15) normal skin; (16) normal spinalcord; (17) normal brain cortex; (18) brain—hypothalamus; (19) nerve;(20) dorsal root ganglion (DRG); (21) glial cells (astrocytes); (22)glioblastoma; (23) normal breast; (24) breast tumor; (25) normal ovary;(26) ovary tumor; (27) normal prostate; (28) prostate tumor; (29)epithelial cells (prostate); (30) normal colon; (31) colon tumor; (32)normal lung; (33) lung tumor; (34) lung—chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (COPD); (35) colon—inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); (36) normalliver; (37) liver—fibrosis; (38) dermal cells—fibroblasts; (39) normalspleen; (40) normal tonsil; (41) lymph node; (42) small intestine; (43)skin—decubitus; (44) synovium; (45) bone marrow mononuclear cells(BM-MNC); and (46) activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs),revealed that human 25869 or COE-1 was highly expressed in the kidney,colon, liver, brain, small intestine, and skeletal muscle. Expression ofhuman COE-1 was also upregulated in marmoset monkeys treated withcholestyramine, a drug which lowers cholesterol and/or lipids in theblood.

Analysis of Human 25869 or COE-1 Activity

The activity, e.g., the lipase activity, of COE-1 molecules of thepresent invention may be determined by the use of any of the followingassays. All of the following assays are performed as described inLehner, R. and Vance, D. E. (1999) Biochem. J. 343:1-10, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

Materials

Oleic acid, essentially fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin (BSA),p-nitrophenyl fatty acyl esters and Protein A-Sepharose CL 4B arepurchased from Sigma (St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A.). [9,10-3H]Triolein (28mCi/mmol) is from Dupont NEN (Boston, Mass., U.S.A.). [1,3-3H]glycerol(2.6 Ci/mmol), [U-¹⁴C]glycerol (149 mCi/mmol), [9,10-3H]oleic acid (10Ci/mmol), L-[4,5-3H]leucine (57 Ci/mmol) and ECL Western blottingreagents are obtained from Amersham Canada (Oakville, Ontario, Canada).Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), sodium pyruvate,penicillin/streptomycin, fetal bovine and horse sera and Geneticin(G-418 sulfate) are from Gibco BRL (Life Technologies Inc., GrandIsland, N.Y., U.S.A.). Triascin C is purchased from Biomol ResearchLaboratories, Inc. (Plymouth Meeting, Pa., U.S.A.). All other chemicalsand solvents are of reagent or better quality and are obtained from anynumber of suppliers known to those of skill in the art. Sheepanti-[human apolipoprotein (apo)B] IgG is from Boehringer-Mannheim.

Cell Culture

Primary hepatocytes are isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats (bodyweight 125-150 g), fed ad libitum, by collagenase perfusion of theliver. The cells are cultured in DMEM containing 15% (v/v) fetal bovineserum, as described in Yao, Z. and Vance, D. E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem.263:449-509. HepG2 cells, obtained from A.T.C.C., are cultured inminimal Eagle's medium containing 0.1 mM nonessential amino acids, 1 mMsodium pyruvate, penicillin (10 units/ml), streptomycin (100 μg/ml) and10% fetal bovine serum. McArdle RH7777 cells obtained from A.T.C.C., arecultured in DMEM containing pyruvate, antibiotics, 10% fetal bovineserum, and 10% (v/v) horse serum. All cultures are maintained in 100 mmdishes (Corning) at 37° C. in humidified air (89-91% saturation)containing 5% CO₂.

Generation of Stable Cell Lines Expressing COE-1 cDNA

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, are transfected with 10 μg of pBK-CMVplasmid vector (Stratagene) with or without COE-1 cDNA insert using acalcium precipitation procedure, as described in Chen, C. and Okayama,H. (1987) Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:2745-2752. Cells stably expressing eitherthe empty vector or the vector containing the COE-1 cDNA are selectedfor resistance to the antibiotic G-418 (0.08% w/v). Transfected McArdleRH7777 cells are grown in DMEM supplemented with 10% horse serum and 10%fetal bovine serum, penicillin/streptomycin (40 units/ml) and 0.02%(w/v) G-418. Cells are maintained at 37° C. in humidified air containing5% CO₂.

Preparation of Microsomal Membranes

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, from ten 100 mm diameter culturedishes (approximately 50 mg of protein) are harvested into 5 ml of 10 mMTris/HCl, pH 7.4, containing 250 mM sucrose and 5 mM EDTA. Cells arehomogenized with a Polytron, and the microsomal membranes are isolatedby ultracentrifugation from a post-mitochondrial supernatant, asdescribed in Lehner, R. and Kuksis, A. (1993) J. Biol. Chem.268:8781-8786.

Lipase Assay

Lipolytic activities in microsomal membranes (50 μg of protein) isolatedfrom ‘mock’ transfected (empty vector) and COE-1 cDNA transfected cells(e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells) are assessed using either radiolabeledtriolein or a chromogenic substrate (p-nitrophenyl laurate) as describedin Lehner, R. and Verger, R. (1997) Biochemistry 36:1861-1868.

Immunoblot Analysis

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells (non-transfected, ‘mock’ transfected,and COE-1 cDNA transfected) are harvested in phosphate-buffered saline(PBS) and disrupted by brief sonication. Cell homogenates (35 μg ofprotein) are electrophoresed on an SDS/12% (w/v) polyacrylamide gel,transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane, and the expression of COE-1 isanalyzed by blotting with anti-COE-1 antibodies using standard methods.

Lipid Uptake by Transfected Cells

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells (at approximately 80% confluency in 60mm diameter culture dishes) are incubated with 2 ml of serum-free DMEMcontaining 0.5% BSA and 100 μCi [³H]oleic acid for 1 hour. The medium isaspirated, the cells are washed with DMEM/0.5% BSA, and subsequently thecells are incubated with 5 ml of DMEM/0.5% BAS for 2 hours. The mediumis removed, diluted with DMEM/0.5% BSA and 5 ml aliquots are added tothe cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, stably transfected with eitherpBK-CMV vector or with pBK-CMV containing COE-1 cDNA. Aliquots of medium(1 ml) are taken after 2, 4, and 6 hours of incubation. At the end ofthe incubation period, the cells are washed with ice-cold PBS, harvestedin the same buffer, and dispersed by brief sonication. Cellular andmedium lipids are extracted as described in Folch, J. et al. ((1957) J.Biol. Chem. 226:449-509) in the presence of non-labeled lipid carriers.The lipids are applied to TLC plates and developed to one-third theheight with chloroform/methanol/acetic acid/water (25:15:4:2, by volume)to separate glycerophospholipids, followed by development inheptane/isopropyl ether/acetic acid (60:40:4, by volume) to separateneutral lipids. Lipids are made visible by exposure to iodine; bandscorresponding to various lipid classes are scraped, and the associatedradioactivity is determined by scintillation counting.

Effect of Triascin C on Glycerolipid Synthesis and Secretion

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, stably transfected with pBK-CMV orpBK-CMV containing COE-1 cDNA are grown to approximately 70% confluencyin 60 mm diameter dishes and incubated for 24 hours with serum-free DMEMcontaining 0.1 mM oleic acid complexed with BSA (0.13% finalconcentration). The medium is aspirated and the cells are incubated for1 hour with DMEM containing 0.1 mM oleic acid/BSA and variousconcentrations of triascin C in DMSO. The final concentration of DMSO is0.4%. After a 1 hour incubation triascin C, 10 μCi/dish of [³H]glycerolis added. Cells and medium are collected after 2 hours, lipids areextracted, and the radioactivity associated with phosphatidylcholine andtriacylglycerol is analyzed as described above.

Intracellular Lipid Turnover in Transfected Cells

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, stably transfected with pBK-CMV orpBK-CMV containing COE-1 cDNA (grown to approximately 70% confluency)are incubated with serum-free DMEM containing 0.1 mM oleic acidcomplexed with BSA (0.13% final concentration) and 20 μCi [³H]glycerolfor 15 hours. After 13 hours, triascin C (20 μM final concentration) isadded. After an additional 2 hours of labeling, medium is removed, cellsare washed and incubated for 6 hours±triascin C (chase). Cells areharvested, lipids are extracted and separated by TLC, and the amount ofradioactivity in phosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol is determined.

Utilization of Intracellular Triacylglycerol Stores for LipoproteinAssembly and Secretion Contribution of [¹⁴C]Glycerol-LabeledIntracellular Triacylglycerol Pools in the Presence of Exogenous Oleate:Pulse-Chase Protocol

Cells are incubated for 2 hours with 0.375 mM oleic acid/0.5% BSA toincrease the triacylglycerol stores. Cells are then washed and incubatedfor 1 hour with DMEM followed by 2 hours with 0.375 mM oleic acid/0.5%BSA and 0.25 μCi [¹⁴C]glycerol. Radioactivity in cellular and mediumphosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol is analyzed following lipidextraction and TLC as described above.

Secretion of [³H]Glycerol-Prelabeled Intracellular Triacylglycerol Poolsin the Absence of Oleate

Cells are incubated for 16 hours with serum-free DMEM containing 0.375mM oleic acid/0.5% BSA and 0.25 μCi [¹⁴C]glycerol, washed and incubatedwith DMEM in the absence of extracellular oleate for up to 8 hours.Radioactivity in cellular medium lipids is analyzed.

Lipid Secretion from Transfected Cells

Cells, e.g., McArdle RH7777 cells, at 60-70% confluency are washed withDMEM and incubated in the absence of serum for 2 hours. One set ofdishes is incubated for 4 hours with serum-free DMEM containing 0.5% BSAand 10 μCi [³H]glycerol. The other set of dishes is incubated for 4hours with serum-free DMEM containing 0.375 mM oleic acid/0.5% BSA and10 μCi [³H]glycerol. At the end of a 4 hour pulse, a set ofoleate-treated cells is washed with DMEM and incubated for various timeswith serum-free DMEM containing 0.5% BSA (chase). Medium and cells arecollected, and lipids are extracted in the presence of non-labeled lipidcarriers. Lipids are separated by TLC and made visible by exposure toiodine, and the radioactivity associated with phosphatidylcholine andtriacylglycerol is determined.

Triacylglycerol and Phosphatidylcholine Mass Secretion from TransfectedCells

The experimental design for determination of the mass of triacylglyceroland phosphatidylcholine secreted is identical to that described above,except that cells are grown in 100 mm diameter dishes, and medium fromthree dishes is combined. Lipids are extracted by TLC, and the mass ofphosphatidylcholine is determined as described in Chalvardjian, A. andRudnicki, E. (1970) Anal. Biochem. 36:225-226. The mass oftriacylglycerol is determined according to the methods of Snyder, F. andStephens, N. ((1959) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 34:244-245) usingtrioleoylglycerol as an authentic standard.

Determination of Intracellular and Secreted Triacylglycerol Mass

Cells (e.g., freshly prepared primary rat hepatocytes seeded at(5-6)×10⁶ cells/60 mm diameter dish; McArdle RH7777 cells at 80%confluency; or HepG2 cells) are incubated for 12 hours in theirrespective growth media supplemented with 0.375 mM oleate/0.5% BSA.Cells are then washed with DMEM and incubated for 2 hours with DMEMcontaining 0.375 mM oleate/0.5% BSA. The media are then collected andtriacylglycerol mass is analyzed (triacylglycerol secretion at 2 hoursof supplementation with oleate). Cells are washed and incubated for 2hours with DMEM in the absence of oleate. Medium is removed, the cellswashed, and fresh DMEM replenished. The procedure is repeated every 2hours. Media and cell lipids are extracted and triacylglycerol massdetermined as described above.

ApoB Secretion

Cells stably transfected with either pBK-CMV or pBK-CMV containing COE-1cDNA grown to approximately 70% confluency in 60 mm diameter dishes areincubated for 16 hours with serum-free DMEM. Cells are then incubatedfor 2 hours with DMEM containing 0.375 mM oleic acid/0.5% BSA, washedfor 1 hour with leucine-free medium±oleic acid/BSA and incubated for 2hours with 2 ml of either leucine-free DMEM containing 0.5% BSA and 250μCi of [³H]leucine, or leucine-free DMEM containing 0.375 mM oleicacid/0.5% BSA and 250 μCi [³H]leucine. Medium is removed and brieflycentrifuged to remove cellular debris. A 0.1 ml aliquot of 10×immunoprecipitation buffer (1.5 M NaCl, 0.5 M Tris/HCl, pH 7.4, 50 mMEDTA, 5% (v/v) Triton X-100, 1% (w/v) SDS; Wu, X. et al. (1996) J. LipidRes. 37:1198-1206) is added to the culture medium (0.9 ml containing 1mM final concentration of benzamidine). Anti (human apoB) IgG (10 μl) isthen added. The mixture is incubated for 12 hours at 4° C., then 50 μlof Protein A-Sepharose is added, and the mixture is incubated for 3 morehours. The beads are pelleted by brief centrifugation, washed threetimes with an excess of immunoprecipitation buffer, then 0.1 μg of ratVLDL protein is added, followed by electrophoresis sample buffer (125 mMTris/HCl, pH 6.8, 4% SDS, 20% (v/v) glycerol, 10% (v/v)β-mercaptoethanol, 0.02% Bromophenol Blue; Wu et al. (1996) supra).Samples are boiled and electrophoresed through 5% (w/v) polyacrylamidegels containing 0.1% SDS. Gels are silver stained (Rabilloud, T. et al.(1988) Electrophoresis 9:288-291), and bands corresponding to apoB48 andapoB 100 are excised, dissolved at 60° C. in 0.2 ml of 60% (v/v)perchloric acid followed by 0.4 ml of 30% (v/v) hydrogen peroxide(Mahin, D. T. and Lofberg, R. T. (1966) Anal. Biochem. 16:500-509), andthe radioactivity associated with apoB48 and apoB100 is determined usingHionic-Fluor scintillation cocktail (Packard Instrument Co., Meriden,Conn., U.S.A.).

For detection of apoB in VLDL, density centrifugation is performedaccording to Chung et al. ((1980) J. Lipid Res. 21:284-291). To 1.2 mlof medium (containing 1 mM benzamidine) are added 100 μl of freshlyprepared rat plasma and 0.7 grams KBr (4 M final concentration of KBr,density 1.3 g/ml). The mixture is placed into 5.5 ml Quick-Sealcentrifuge tubes (Beckman), carefully overlayed with 0.9% NaCl, andcentrifuged for 45 minutes at 41,600 g (65,000 revolutions/minute; VTi65.2 rotor). Fractions of 0.5 ml are collected from the bottom of thetubes, and the densities are determined. Top fractions containing VLDLhave a density of <1.013 g/ml. Fractions are adjusted to 0.9 ml withwater, and apoB is immunoprecipitated and analyzed as described above.

Other Methods

7.5 mM oleic acid/10% (w/v) BSA stock solution is prepared by dissolvingfatty acid-free BSA in DMEM. The solution is heated to 56° C., added to0.106 grams oleic acid, stirred until the solution clarifies, andsterilized by filtration.

Protein concentration is determined using the Bio-Rad Protein Assay kitusing BSA as a protein standard.

Human 25934

The human 25934 sequence (SEQ ID NO:7), which is approximately 1512nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 990 nucleotides(nucleotides 342-1334 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:9). The coding sequenceencodes a 330 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:8).

Human 25934 contains the following regions or other structural features:a desaturase domain located at about amino acid residues 51 to 295 ofSEQ ID NO:8; two transmembrane regions at about amino acids 50-93 and194-235 of SEQ ID NO:8; three cytoplasmic domains at about amino acids1-49, 94-193, and 236-330 of SEQ ID NO:8; one predicted N-glycosylationsite (PS00001) at about amino acids 233 to 236 of SEQ ID NO:8; onepredicted cAmp and cGMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site(PS00004) at about amino acids 311 to 314 of SEQ ID NO:8; four predictedProtein Kinase C phosphorylation sites (PS00005) at about amino acids 98to 100, 101 to 103, 255 to 257 and 308 to 310 of SEQ ID NO:8; twopredicted Casein Kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006) located atabout amino acids 138 to 141 and 283-286 of SEQ ID NO:8; four predictedN-myristoylation sites (PS00008) from about amino acids 23 to 28, 40 to45, 59 to 64, and 88 to 93 of SEQ ID NO:8; one predicted amidation site(PS00009) from about amino acid 170 to 173 of SEQ ID NO:8; and onepredicted fatty acid desaturase family 1 signature (PS00476) from aboutamino acid 268 to 282 of SEQ ID NO:8.

For general information regarding PFAM identifiers, PS prefix and PFprefix domain identification numbers, refer to Sonnhammer et al. (1997)Protein 28:405-420.

A plasmid containing the nucleotide sequence encoding human 25934 wasdeposited with American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 UniversityBoulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209, on ______ and assigned AccessionNumber ______. This deposit will be maintained under the terms of theBudapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit ofMicroorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure. This deposit wasmade merely as a convenience for those of skill in the art and is not anadmission that a deposit is required under 35 U.S.C. §112.

The 25934 protein contains a significant number of structuralcharacteristics in common with members of the desaturase family.

Based on sequence homology, 25934 polypeptide is predicted to be amember of the desaturase family of enzymes, specifically the stearoyl-Codesaturase family (SCD family, EC 1.14.99.5).

Fatty acid desaturases are critical regulatory enzymes of unsaturatedfatty acid biosynthesis and catalyze the conversion of a single bondbetween two carbon atoms (C—C) to a double bond (C═C) in a fatty acylchain. The resultant double bond is often referred to as an unsaturatedbond. Eukaryotic fatty acid desaturases, typically, are iron-containingenzymes that catalyze the NAD-(P)H and O₂-dependent introduction ofdouble bonds into methylene-interrupted fatty acid chains. Examinationof the deduced amino acid sequence from mammals, fungi, insects, higherplants and cyanobacteria has revealed three regions of conserved primarysequence containing HX(3 or 4)H, HX(2 or 3), and HX(2 or 3)HH. Thismotif is also present in the bacterial membrane enzymes alkalinehydroxylase (omega-hydroxylase) and xylene monooxygenase.

There are three types of eukaryotic fatty acid desaturases, acyl-CoA,acyl-ACP, and acyl-lipid desaturases (Ntambi et al., Biochem. andBiophys. Res. Corn. 266:1-4, 1999). In plants and cyanobacteria,acyl-lipid desaturases catalyzing most desaturation reactions andintroduce unsaturated bonds into fatty acids that are in a lipid-boundform. Acyl-ACP desaturases are present in the plastids of plant cellsand insert a double bond into fatty acids that are bound to acyl carrierprotein (ACP). In animals, yeast and fungal cells, Acyl-CoA introduceunsaturated bonds into fatty acids that are bound to coenzyme A (CoA). Agene cloned from this family is stearoyl-CoA desaturase and this genehas been identified in many organisms including mice, rats, humans,yeast, ovines, and hamsters.

Fatty acid desaturases can introduce an unsaturated bond at a specificposition in a fatty acyl chain, for example, at the −6, −9, or −12position. Desaturases are typically integral membrane proteins inducedin the endoplasmic reticulum by dietary manipulations and then rapidlydegraded (Ozols, J. (1997) MBC Vol. 8 (11): 2281-2290). Unsaturatedfatty acids can be formed from a variety of fatty acids includingpalmitate and stearate resulting in the formation of unsaturated fattyacids palmitoleate (16:1), and oleate (18:1).

In mammals, the rate limiting step in the biosynthesis ofmonounsaturated fatty acids is the insertion of an unsaturated bond bystearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) in the −9 position of the fatty acid. SCDpreferentially catalyzes the synthesis of oleic acid. Oleate enrichedlow density lipoprotein (LDL) exhibits increased affinity for the vesselwall, and is therefore pro-atherogenic (Rudel, L. L. et al. (1997) J.Clin. Invest. 1:100(1):74-83). SCD involvement in generating atherogenicLDL variants and in regulating triglyceride synthesis is furthersupported by the finding that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), whichprotect against atherosclerosis, negatively regulate the expression ofthe SCD gene (Rudel, L L et al. (1995) Atheroscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol.15(12):2101-10; Ntambi, J M (1999) J. Lipid Res. 40(9): 1549-58).Moreover, a mouse deficient for SCD exhibits significant reduction intriglycerides (Miyazaki, M. et al. (2000) J. Biol. Chem., in press).

SCD enzymes are structurally and functionally homologous to one another,and can convert a single bond to a double bond in a fatty acyl chain.SCD enzymes utilize oxygen and electrons from cytochrome b₅ forcatalysis. Similar to other enzymes such as ribonucleotide reductasesand methane monoxygenases, stearoyl-CoA desaturases can have a conservediron binding motif which includes eight histidines (Shanklin et al.(1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:2981-2986),“H-X(3-4)-H-X(7-41)-H-X(2-3)-H-H-X(61-189)-H-X(2-3)-H-H (SEQ ID NO:11).”The eight histidine residues common to desaturase family members aretypically divided among three regions of the protein: region Ia(H-X(3-4)-H); region Ib (the first H-X(2-3)-H-H sequence); and region II(the second H-X(2-3)-H-H sequence) (Shanklin et al. (1994) Biochemistry33:12787-94).

SCDs typically contain two or three long hydrophobic domains termed“transmembrane regions,” each of which is capable of spanning themembrane two times (Shanklin et al. (1994) Biochemistry 33:12787-94).Because a transmembrane region is capable of traversing the membranetwice, amino acid residues flanking a transmembrane region reside on thesame side of the membrane (Stukey et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem.265:20144-49). Thus, when region I (regions Ia and Ib) and region II aredivided by a transmembrane region in a desaturase family member, theregions will typically reside on the same side of the membrane, e.g.,the cytoplasmic face of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane.

A 25934 polypeptides include a “desaturase domain” or regions homologouswith a “desaturase domain”. As used herein, the term “desaturase domain”includes an amino acid sequence of about 25 to 600 amino acid residuesin length and having a bit score for the alignment of the sequence tothe fatty acid desaturase domain (HMM) of at least 50. Preferably, adesaturase domain includes at least about 50-500 amino acids, morepreferably about 100-400 amino acid residues, or about 200-250 aminoacids and has a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to thedesaturase domain (HMM) of at least 60, 80, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300,450, 500 or greater.

In a preferred embodiment, 25934 polypeptide or protein has a“desaturase domain” or a region which includes at least about 50-500amino acids, more preferably about 100-400 amino acid residues, or about200-250 amino acid residues and has at least about 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%,or 100% homology with a “desaturase domain,” e.g., the desaturase domainof human 25934 (e.g., residues 51-295 of SEQ ID NO:8). Preferably, thedesaturase domain of a 25934 polypeptide includes at least one, two,three, four, five, six, seven and preferably eight conserved histidines.Preferably, the histidines form an eight-histidine motif, which bindstwo iron atoms in the catalytic center. For example, a 25934 polypeptidecontains histidine residues at about amino acids 94, 99, 131, 134, 135,272, 275, and 276 of SEQ ID NO:8.

To identify the presence of a “desaturase” domain in a 25934 proteinsequence, and make the determination that a polypeptide or protein ofinterest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence of theprotein can be searched against a database of HMMs (e.g., the Pfamdatabase, release 2.1) using the default parameters. For example, thehmmsf program, which is available as part of the HMMER package of searchprograms, is a family specific default program for MILPAT0063 and ascore of 15 is the default threshold score for determining a hit.Alternatively, the threshold score for determining a hit can be lowered(e.g., to 8 bits). A description of the Pfam database can be found inSonhammer et al. (1997) Proteins 28(3):405-420 and a detaileddescription of HMMs can be found, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990)Meth. Enzymol. 183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531;and Stultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference. A search was performed against theHMM database resulting in the identification of a “desaturase” domain inthe amino acid sequence of human 25934 at about residues 51-295 of SEQID NO:8 (the identified desaturase consensus domain is set forth in SEQID NO:10).

A 25934 family member includes a desaturase domain and optionally also afatty acid desaturase family 1 signature, i.e., a motif that matches theProSite motif PS00476, “G-E-X-[FY]-H-N-[FY]-H-H-X-F-P-X-D-Y (SEQ IDNO:12),” e.g., this motif is found at about residues 268 to 282 of SEQID NO:8.

In one embodiment, a 25934 protein includes at least one, preferablytwo, transmembrane regions. As used herein, the term “transmembraneregion” includes an amino acid sequence of about 20 amino acid residuesin length that spans a phospholipid membrane, e.g., an endoplasmicreticulum membrane, twice. More preferably, a transmembrane regionincludes about at least 22, 24, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, or70 amino acid residues and spans a phospholipid membrane twice.Transmembrane regions are rich in hydrophobic residues, and typicallyhave an a-helical structure. In a preferred embodiment, at least 50%,60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or more of the amino acids of a transmembranedomain are hydrophobic, e.g., leucines, isoleucines, tyrosines, ortryptophans. Transmembrane regions are described in, for example,pfam.wustl.edu/cgi-bin/getdesc?name=7tm-1, and Zagotta W. N. et al,(1996) Annual Rev. Neuronsci. 19: 235-63, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

In a preferred embodiment, a 25934 polypeptide or protein has at leastone transmembrane region or a region which includes at least 20, 22, 24,25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, or 70 amino acid residues and has atleast about 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a“transmembrane region,” e.g., at least one transmembrane region of human25934 (e.g., amino acid residues 50-93 or 194-235 of SEQ ID NO:8).

In one embodiment, a 25934 protein includes at least one cytoplasmicdomain. When located at the N-terminal domain the cytoplasmic domain isreferred to herein as an “N-terminal cytoplasmic domain”. As usedherein, an “N-terminal cytoplasmic domain” includes an amino acidsequence having about 1-200, preferably about 10-100, preferably about20-90, more preferably about 30-80, more preferably about 35-70, morepreferably about 40-60, or even more preferably about 45-55 amino acidresidues in length and is located in the cytoplasm of a cell. TheC-terminal amino acid residue of a “N-terminal cytoplasmic domain” isadjacent to an N-terminal amino acid residue of a transmembrane regionin a 25934 protein. For example, an N-terminal cytoplasmic domain islocated at about amino acid residues 1-49 of SEQ ID NO:8.

In a preferred embodiment, a 25934 polypeptide or protein has at leastone N-terminal cytoplasmic domain or a region which includes at leastabout 5, preferably about 40-60, or even more preferably about 45-55amino acid residues and has at least about 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or100% homology with an “N-terminal cytoplasmic domain,” e.g., at leastone N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of human 25934 (e.g., residues 1-49 ofSEQ ID NO:8).

In another embodiment, a 25934 protein includes a “cytoplasmic loop” inthe sequence of the protein. As used herein, a “cytoplasmic loop”includes an amino acid sequence having a length of at least about 10,preferably about 20-250, preferably about 30-150, more preferably about80-120 amino acid residues and is located within the cytoplasm of acell. Accordingly, the N-terminal amino acid residue of a “cytoplasmicloop” is adjacent to a C-terminal amino acid residue of a transmembraneregion and the C-terminal residue of a “cytoplasmic loop” is adjacent toa N-terminal amino acid residue of a transmembrane region in a 25934protein. For example, a cytoplasmic loop is found at about amino acidresidues 94-193 of SEQ ID NO:8.

In a preferred embodiment, a 25934 polypeptide or protein has acytoplasmic loop or a region which includes at least about 10,preferably about 20-250, preferably about 30-150, more preferably about80-120 amino acid residues and has at least about 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%,99%, or 100% homology with an “cytoplasmic loop,” e.g., the cytoplasmicloop of human 25934 (e.g., residues 94-193 of SEQ ID NO:8).

In another embodiment, a 25934 protein includes a “C-terminalcytoplasmic domain”, also referred to herein as a C-terminal cytoplasmictail, in the sequence of the protein. As used herein, a “C-terminalcytoplasmic domain” includes an amino acid sequence having a length ofat least about 30, preferably about 50-150, preferably about 60-200,more preferably about 80-110 amino acid residues and is located withinthe cytoplasm of a cell. Accordingly, the N-terminal amino acid residueof a “C-terminal cytoplasmic domain” is adjacent to a C-terminal aminoacid residue of a transmembrane region in a 25934 protein. For example,a C-terminal cytoplasmic domain is found at about amino acid residues236-330 of SEQ ID NO:8.

In a preferred embodiment, a 25934 polypeptide or protein has aC-terminal cytoplasmic domain or a region which includes at least about30, preferably about 50-150, preferably about 60-200, more preferablyabout 80-110 amino acid residues and has at least about 60%, 70% 80% 90%95%, 99%, or 100% homology with an “C-terminal cytoplasmic domain,”e.g., the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of human 25934 (e.g., residues236-330 of SEQ ID NO:8).

25934 polypeptides of the invention include 25934 fragments whichinclude: all or part of a hydrophobic sequence e.g., all or part of thesequence from about residue 71 to about residue 91 of SEQ ID NO:8; allor part of a hydrophilic fragment; or other fragments that include acysteine or a glycosylation site.

A multiple sequence alignment of the 25934 amino acid sequence with thehuman (SEQ ID NO:13), rat (SEQ ID NO:14), and chicken (SEQ ID NO:15)delta-9 desaturase proteins revealed 63.6%, 58.4%, and 58.4% identitybetween the 25934 amino acid sequence and the chicken, human and ratamino acid sequences, respectively.

As the 25934 polypeptides of the invention may modulate 25934-mediatedactivities, they may be useful as of for developing novel diagnostic andtherapeutic agents for 25934-mediated or related disorders, as describedbelow.

As used herein, a “25934 activity”, “biological activity of 25934” or“functional activity of 25934”, refers to an activity exerted by a 25934protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule on e.g., a25934-responsive cell or on a 25934 substrate, e.g., a proteinsubstrate, as determined in vivo or in vitro. In one embodiment, a 25934activity is a direct activity, such as an association with a 25934target molecule. A “target molecule” or “binding partner” is a moleculewith which a 25934 protein binds or interacts in nature. In an exemplaryembodiment, the binding partner is a fatty acid, e.g., myristic,palmitic or stearic acid. The 25934 proteins of the present inventioncan have one or more of the following activities: (1) catalyzing theformation of a double bond, preferably, at positions up to 9 carbonsfrom the carboxyl end of a molecule, e.g., a fatty acid, such as apolyunsaturated fatty acid; (2) modulating the synthesis ofmonounsaturated fatty acids, e.g., modulating the synthesis of a fattyacid synthesized in an animal, e.g., oleic acid, palmitoyl- andstearoyl-CoA; (3) modulating the desaturation of a fatty acid, e.g., apolyunsaturated fatty acids; (4) modulating cellular lipid composition,e.g., modulating the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids; (5)modulating the energy state of adipocytes; (6) modulating membranefluidity; (7) modulating lipid storage; (8) modulating proliferationand/or differentiation; (9) modulating lipoprotein (e.g., LDL)composition and/or concentration; (10) regulating triglyceridesynthesis; (11) altering the HDL/LDL ration; or (12) modulating fattyacid metabolism.

Based on the above-described sequence similarities, the 25934 moleculesof the present invention are predicted to have similar biologicalactivities as other desaturase family members, and in particular,stearoyl CoA desaturases (SCD). For example, the 25934 polypeptide or adomain therein, e.g., desaturase domain, may function to catalyze theconversion of a single bond between two carbon atoms (C—C) to a doublebond (C═C) in a fatty acid chain. This modification is expected to occurat the n9 position of the fatty acid. Desaturases are predicted tocontribute to an unfavorable LDL content state, e.g., by increasingLDL-oleate, which is atherogenic (Rudel, L L. et al. (1997) J. ClinInvest. 1:100(1):74-83) as well as by playing a role in triglyceridemetabolism and/or biosynthesis. As shown by TAQMAN™ analysis, Niacintreatment in the marmoset model results in significant repression of25934 in the liver. Niacin has been shown to alter the composition ofLDL and HDL to a favorable state, to cause a significant reduction intriglycerides, and to increase HDL concentration (Goldberg, A. (2000)Am. J. Cardiol. 85(9):1100-5. Moreover, a mouse deficient for SCDexhibits significant reduction in triglycerides (Miyazaki, M. et al.(2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275(39):30132-8). Accordingly, the 25934 moleculescan act as novel diagnostic targets and therapeutic agents forcontrolling disorders associated with abnormal or aberrant desaturaseactivity and/or triglyceride levels. In particular, it is predicted thattargeting the inhibition of 25934 nucleic acids and polypeptides willresults in the favorable modification, and possible reduction, of LDLcontent and/or reduction of triglycerides. Thus, the 25934 molecules canact as novel targets for treating and/or diagnosing fatty acid metabolicdisorders (e.g., desaturation of fatty acids) such as obesity and/ordiabetes and more generally, cardiovascular disorders.

The term “cardiovascular disorders” or “disease” includes heartdisorders, as well as disorders of the blood vessels of the circulationsystem caused by, e.g., abnormally high concentrations of lipids in theblood vessels.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic and prophylactic uses of thecompositions of the invention, further include the administration ofcholesterol lowering agents as a combination drug therapies. The term“combination therapy” as used herein refers to the administration to asubject (concurrently or sequentially) of two or more cholesterollowering agents. Current combination therapy therapies usingcombinations of niacin and statins are being used with positive resultsto treat hyperlipidemia (Guyton, J R. (1999) Curr Cardiol Rep.1(3):244-250; Otto, C. et al. (1999) Internist (Berl) 40(12):1338-45).Other useful drug combinations include those derived by addition of fishoil, bile acid binding resins, or stanol esters, as well as nonstatincombinations susn as niacin-resin or fibrate-niacin (Guyton, J R. (1999)supra). For examples of dosages and administration schedules of thecholesterol lowering agents, the teachings of Guyton, J R. (1999) supra,Otto, C. et al. (1999) supra, Guyton, J R et al. (1998) Am J Cardiol82(12A):82U-86U; Guyton, J R et al. (1998) Am J Cardiol. 82(6):737-43;Vega, G L et al. (1998) Am J. Cardiol. 81(4A):36B-42B; Schectman, G.(1996) Ann Intern Med. 125(12):990-1000; Nakamura, H. et al. (1993)Nippon Rinsho 51(8):2101-7; Goldberg, A. et al. (2000) Am J Cardiol85(9):1100-5; Morgan, J M et al. (1996) J Cardiovasc. Pharmac. Ther.1(3):195-202; Stein, E A et al. (1996) J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther1(2):107-116; and Goldberg, A C (1998) Am Cardiol 82(12A):35U-41U, areexpressly incorporated by reference.

The 25934 molecules can also be used to treat, diagnose or prevent lipiddisorders. Examples of lipid disorders include those disorders whichaffect fatty acid metabolism. Fatty acids are synthesized fromacetyl-CoA, which is derived from carbohydrate, protein and othernon-lipid sources, and the pathway produces saturated fatty acids,predominantly palmitic acid (10:0). In mammals, the fatty acids may beelongated and desaturated. Desaturation is catalyzed by desaturaseswhich function by inserting one or more double bonds at positions up to9 carbons from the carboxyl end of a fatty acid molecule.

The degree of fatty acid desaturation in cell membrane lipids determinesmembrane fluidity. The activity of the desaturase enzyme is critical formaintaining the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in cellmembranes. Alterations in this ratio can, e.g., alter the physicalproperties of membranes. Moreover, alterations in the ratio of fattyacids have been implicated in a range of diseases including diabetes,obesity, hypertension, cancer, developmental disorders, immune disordersand neurological and the above-described heart diseases. For example,tumor tissue and virus-transformed cells have a higher content ofunsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid. Such shifts increase themetabolic rates of many lipid-dependent enzymes and are associated witha higher capacity for cell division.

As assessed by TAQMAN™ analysis, the 25934 mRNA is found in the brain,ovary, kidney and liver, therefore the molecules of the invention can beused to develop novel agents or compounds to treat, prevent and/ordiagnose disorders involving aberrant activities of those cells. Forexample, the molecules of the invention can be used to treat, presentand/or diagnose neurological disorders, brain disorders, ovariandisorders, kidney disorders and liver disorders, as described below.

Identification and Characterization of Human 25934 cDNA

The human 25934 sequence (SEQ ID NO:7), which is approximately 1512nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 990 nucleotides(nucleotides 342 to 1334 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:9). The codingsequence encodes a 330 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:8).

Tissue Distribution of 25934 mRNA

Endogenous human 25934 gene expression was determined using thePerkin-Elmer/ABI 7700 Sequence Detection System which employs TAQMAN™technology. To determine the level of 25934 in various human tissues aprimer/probe set was designed using Primer Express (Perkin-Elmer)software and primary cDNA sequence information. Total RNA was preparedfrom a series of human tissues using an RNEASY™ kit from Qiagen. Firststrand cDNA was prepared from 1 μg total RNA using an oligo-dT primerand SUPERSCRIPT II™ reverse transcriptase (Gibco/BRL). cDNA obtainedfrom approximately 50 ng total RNA was used per TAQMAN™ reaction.

25934 mRNA levels were analyzed in a variety of samples isolated fromthe human fetal heart, spinal cord, brain (cortex, hypothalamus, glialcells), ovary, kidney, liver, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells(SMC). The highest relative 25934 mRNA expression, i.e., greater than200 relative units, was observed in spinal cord, brain and ovary. Highlevel mRNA expression, i.e., greater than 100 relative units wasobserved in the kidney, endothelial cells and human umbilical veinendothelial cells (HUVEC). Expression in liver (a target organ for25934) was positive but lower relative to other tissues

The relative 25934 mRNA expression levels were determined using anexpanded TAQMAN™ panel of human liver tissues and then this panel wasused to compare the expression of 25934 mRNA and stearoyl CoA desaturase(SCD) mRNA. Expression of 25934 mRNA in human liver is equivalent to therelative expression of the known SCD gene.

Further TAQMAN™ analyses also demonstrate an inhibition of 25934 mRNAexpression in the marmoset animal model. Niacin treatment in themarmoset model results in significant repression of 25934 in the liver.

Human 26335 (DHY)

The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery ofnovel molecules, referred to herein as “26335”, “dehydratase” or “DHY”nucleic acid and protein molecules, which are novel members of a familyof enzymes possessing dehydratase activity. These novel molecules arecapable of delaminating serine or threonine to pyruvate or2-oxobutyrate, respectively, by catalyzing a two-step reaction ofdehydration of the amino acid, followed by hydrolysis of the resultingimine. These novel molecules may thus play a role in or function in avariety of cellular processes, e.g., cellular proliferation, growth,differentiation, migration, and inter- or intra-cellular communication.

The biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids is of critical importancein many metabolic and catabolic pathways in cells, and is fundamental tothe production of cellular proteins. A wide array of enzymes facilitatethe synthesis, interconversion, and degradation of amino acids,including transaminases, oxidases, reductases, dehydrogenases, andkinases, among many others. One such family of enzymes, the serine andthreonine dehydratases, catalyze the irreversible deamination of serineor threonine to pyruvate or 2-oxobutyrate, respectively.

The reaction mechanism for these enzymes has been characterized (Snelland Di Mari (1970) The Enzymes (Boyer, P. D., ed.), Academic Press:3^(rd) ed. Vol. 2: 335-370; and Ogawa et al. (1989) Biochim. Biophys.Acta 996: 139-141). First, a Schiff base is formed between apyridoxal-5′phosphate cofactor and a specific lysine residue which isstrictly conserved within the serine and threonine dehydratase family. Anew Schiff base is subsequently formed between the cofactor and thehydroxyamino acid by transimination, catalyzing the removal of theα-proton through stabilization of the resulting carbanion by the planarπ-system of the prosthetic group. The hydroxyl group is eliminated, andthe resultant enamine is freed by a second transimination. Atautomerization step results in the formation of a ketimine, whichhydrolyses to the 2-oxoacid and ammonia (Gabowski et al. (1993) Trendsin Biological Sciences 18: 297-300). A subclass of the serinedehydratases found in anaerobic bacteria substitutes an iron-sulfurcofactor for pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, and exhibits an altered reactionmechanism with similarities to the mechanism of aconitase (Hofmeister etal. (1993) Eur J Biochem 215(2):341-9). Threonine dehydratases, ingeneral, are able to deaminate either threonine or serine, while theserine dehydratases have been found to be specific for the deaminationof serine (Grabowski et al. (1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 199:89-94; andAlfoldi et al. (1968) J. Bacteriol. 96:1512-1518).

Members of the serine and threonine dehydratase family are found innearly all organisms, from bacteria to yeast to mammals. Alignments ofthe amino acid sequences of family members from disparate organisms haverevealed two conserved regions, termed C1 and C2. The conserved C1domain is located approximately 50 amino acid residues from theN-terminus of the enzyme, and includes the consensus sequence(G)S(F)K(I)RG (Datta et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:393-397). This region of the protein has been shown to bind thecofactor, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate, at the conserved lysine residue(Schlitz and Schmitt (1981) FEBS Lett. 134:57-62). Conserved region C2is located in the central region of the amino acid sequences of theseenzymes, and is predicted to have a beta sheet-coil-beta sheet structure(Datta et al., supra). C2 is rich in glycine, and is thought to beinvolved in the catalytic activity of the enzymes (Marceau et al. (1988)J. Biol. Chem. 263: 16926-16933).

As used herein, the term “dehydratase” includes a molecule which isinvolved in the metabolism and catabolism of biochemical moleculesnecessary for energy metabolism, for intra- or intercellular signaling,and for metabolism or catabolism of metabolically importantbiomolecules. Typically, dehydratases are involved in the deamination ofamino acids, e.g., serine or theronine. Examples of dehydratases includeserine and threonine dehydratases. Thus, the DHY molecules of thepresent invention provide novel diagnostic targets and therapeuticagents to control dehydratase-associated disorders.

As used herein, a “dehydratase-associated disorder” includes a disorder,disease or condition which is caused or characterized by a misregulation(e.g., downregulation or upregulation) of dehydratase activity.Misregulation of dehydratase activity can result in the overproductionor lack of production of one or more amino acids or biologicallyimportant metabolic precursor molecules (e.g., pyruvate or2-oxobutyrate), and, by extension, aberrant metabolite, energymolecules, and/or protein production in the cell as a whole. Proteinsproduced by the cell not only include those involved in normal cellularfunctioning (e.g., enzymes, receptors, chaperoning, and transcriptionfactors), but also important signaling molecules (e.g., growth factors,cytokines, and neuropeptides). Dehydratase-associated disorders,therefore, can detrimentally affect cellular functions such as cellularproliferation, growth, differentiation, or migration, inter- orintra-cellular communication; and tissue function, such as cardiacfunction or musculoskeletal function. Examples of dehydratase-associateddisorders include cellular proliferation, growth, differentiation, ormigration disorders, CNS disorders, cardiovascular disorders anddisorders affecting tissues in which DHY protein is expressed.

As used herein, a “dehydratase-mediated activity” includes an activitywhich involves the deamination of one or more amino acids, e.g.,threonine or serine. Dehydratase-mediated activities include theproduction of biochemical molecules necessary for energy metabolism, forintra- or intercellular signaling (e.g., the production of growthfactors), and for metabolism or catabolism of metabolically importantbiomolecules (e.g., isoleucine and protein production).

The family of DHY proteins comprises at least one “transmembranedomain”. As used herein, the term “transmembrane domain” includes anamino acid sequence of about 15 amino acid residues in length whichspans the plasma membrane. More preferably, a transmembrane domainincludes about at least 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 amino acid residuesand spans the plasma membrane. Transmembrane domains are rich inhydrophobic residues, and typically have an alpha-helical structure. Ina preferred embodiment, at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or more ofthe amino acids of a transmembrane domain are hydrophobic, e.g.,leucines, isoleucines, tyrosines, or tryptophans. Transmembrane domainsare described in, for example, Zagotta W. N. et al., (1996) Annual Rev.Neurosci. 19: 235-263, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. Amino acid residues 67-83, 167-187, 270-288, and 295-311 ofthe native DHY protein are predicted to comprise transmembrane domains.Accordingly, DHY proteins having at least 50-60% homology, preferablyabout 60-70%, more preferably about 70-80%, or about 80-90% homologywith a transmembrane domain of human DHY are within the scope of theinvention.

In another embodiment, a DHY molecule of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “serine/threonine dehydratasepyridoxal-phosphate attachment site” in the protein or correspondingnucleic acid molecule. As used herein, the term “serine/threoninedehydratase pyridoxal-phosphate attachment site” includes a proteindomain having an amino acid sequence of about 10-20 amino acid residues.Preferably, a serine/threonine dehydratase pyridoxal-phosphateattachment site has about 14 residues and the following consensussequence:[DESH]-x(4,5)-[STVG]-x-[AS]-[FYI]-K-[DLIFSA]-[RVMF]-[GA]-[LIVMGA] (SEQID NO:19) (Datta et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:393-397;and Ogawa et al. (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 996:139-141). To identifythe presence of a serine/threonine dehydratase pyridoxal-phosphateattachment site in a DHY protein, and make the determination that aprotein of interest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence ofthe protein may be searched against a database of known protein domains(e.g., the ProSite database). The serine/threonine dehydratasepyridoxal-phosphate attachment site has been assigned ProSite accessionnumber PS00165. A search was performed against the ProSite databaseresulting in the identification of a serine/threonine dehydratasepyridoxal-phosphate attachment site in the amino acid sequence of humanDHY (SEQ ID NO:17) at about residues 39-52 of SEQ ID NO:17.

In another embodiment, a DHY molecule of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “serine/threonine dehydratasedomain” in the protein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. As usedherein, the term “serine/threonine dehydratase domain” includes aprotein domain having an amino acid sequence of about 200-400 amino acidresidues and a bit score of about 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120,130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, or 220 or more. Preferably,a serine/threonine dehydratase domain includes at least about 250-350,or more preferably about 301 amino acid residues, and a bit score of atleast 229. To identify the presence of a serine/threonine dehydratasedomain in a DHY protein, and make the determination that a protein ofinterest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence of theprotein may be searched against a database of known protein domains(e.g., the HMM database). A search was performed against the HMMdatabase resulting in the identification of a serine/threoninedehydratase domain in the amino acid sequence of human DHY (SEQ IDNO:17) at about residues 11-311 of SEQ ID NO:17.

In another embodiment, a DHY molecule of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of a “pyridoxal phosphate-dependentlyase synthase domain” in the protein or corresponding nucleic acidmolecule. As used herein, the term “pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyasesynthase domain” includes a protein domain having an amino acid sequenceof about 200-300 amino acid residues and having a bit score for thealignment of the sequence to the pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyasesynthase domain of at least 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or higher.Preferably, a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domainincludes at least about 240-275, or more preferably about 265 amino acidresidues, and has a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to thepyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain of at least 88. Thepyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain has been assignedProDom entry 206. To identify the presence of a pyridoxalphosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain in a DHY protein, and to makethe determination that a protein of interest has a particular profile,the amino acid sequence of the protein may be searched against adatabase of known protein domains (e.g., the ProDom database) using thedefault parameters. A search was performed against the ProDom databaseresulting in the identification of a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyasesynthase domain in the amino acid sequence of human DHY (SEQ ID NO:17)at about residues 18-282 of SEQ ID NO:17.

In a preferred embodiment, the DHY molecules of the invention include atleast one or more of the following domains: a transmembrane domain, aserine/threonine dehydratase pyridoxal-phosphate attachment site, aserine/threonine dehydratase domain, and/or a pyridoxalphosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain.

Isolated proteins of the present invention, preferably DHY proteins,have an amino acid sequence sufficiently identical to the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:17, or are encoded by a nucleotide sequencesufficiently identical to SEQ ID NO:16 or 18. As used herein, the term“sufficiently identical” refers to a first amino acid or nucleotidesequence which contains a sufficient or minimum number of identical orequivalent (e.g., an amino acid residue which has a similar side chain)amino acid residues or nucleotides to a second amino acid or nucleotidesequence such that the first and second amino acid or nucleotidesequences share common structural domains or motifs and/or a commonfunctional activity. For example, amino acid or nucleotide sequenceswhich share common structural domains have at least 30%, 40%, or 50%homology, preferably 60% homology, more preferably 70%-80%, and evenmore preferably 90-95% homology across the amino acid sequences of thedomains and contain at least one and preferably two structural domainsor motifs, are defined herein as sufficiently identical. Furthermore,amino acid or nucleotide sequences which share at least 30%, 40%, or50%, preferably 60%, more preferably 70-80%, or 90-95% homology andshare a common functional activity are defined herein as sufficientlyidentical.

As used interchangeably herein, an “DHY activity”, “biological activityof DHY” or “functional activity of DHY”, refers to an activity exertedby a DHY protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule on a DHYresponsive cell or tissue, or on a DHY protein substrate, as determinedin vivo, or in vitro, according to standard techniques. In oneembodiment, a DHY activity is a direct activity, such as an associationwith a DHY-target molecule. As used herein, a “target molecule” or“binding partner” is a molecule with which a DHY protein binds orinteracts in nature, such that DHY-mediated function is achieved. A DHYtarget molecule can be a non-DHY molecule or a DHY protein orpolypeptide of the present invention (e.g., pyridoxal-5′-phosphate). Inan exemplary embodiment, a DHY target molecule is a DHY ligand (e.g.,serine or threonine). Alternatively, a DHY activity is an indirectactivity, such as a cellular signaling activity mediated by interactionof the DHY protein with a DHY ligand. The biological activities of DHYare described herein. For example, the DHY proteins of the presentinvention can have one or more of the following activities: 1) modulatemetabolism and catabolism of biochemical molecules necessary for energyproduction or storage (e.g., amino acids, such as serine or threonine);2) modulate intra- or intercellular signaling; 3) modulate metabolism orcatabolism of metabolically important biomolecules; 4) modulate cellulargrowth and differentiation; 5) modulate cellular proliferation; and 6)modulate production of growth factors and cytokines.

Accordingly, another embodiment of the invention features isolated DHYproteins and polypeptides having a DHY activity. Other preferredproteins are DHY proteins having one or more of the following domains: atransmembrane domain, a serine/threonine dehydratase pyridoxal-phosphateattachment site, a serine/threonine dehydratase domain, and/or apyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain and, preferably, aDHY activity.

Additional preferred proteins have one or more of the following domains:a transmembrane domain, a serine/threonine dehydratasepyridoxal-phosphate attachment site, a serine/threonine dehydratasedomain, and/or a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain,and are, preferably, encoded by a nucleic acid molecule having anucleotide sequence which hybridizes under stringent hybridizationconditions to a nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequenceof SEQ ID NO:16 or 18.

Isolation of the 26335 or DHY cDNA

The invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery of a humangene encoding a novel protein, referred to herein as DHY. The entiresequence of human clone Fbh26335 was determined and found to contain anopen reading frame termed human “26335” or “DHY”, set forth in SEQ IDNO:16 and SEQ ID NO:18. The human DHY gene, which is approximately 1327nucleotides in length, encodes a protein having a molecular weight ofapproximately 36.2 kD, which is approximately 329 amino acid residues inlength and which is set forth in SEQ ID NO:17. The coding region (openreading frame) of SEQ ID NO:16, is set forth as SEQ ID NO:18.

Analysis of the Human DHY Molecule

The amino acid sequence of human DHY was analyzed using the programPSORT to predict the localization of the protein within the cell. Thisprogram assesses the presence of different targeting and localizationamino acid sequences within the query sequence. The results of theanalysis show that human DHY (SEQ ID NO:17) may be localized to thecytoplasm, to the mitochondrion, to golgi, to the endoplasmic reticulum,extracellular to the cell or to the cell wall, to vacuoles, to thenucleus, or to secretory vesicles.

A search of the amino acid sequence of DHY was performed against theMEMSAT database. This search resulted in the identification of fourtransmembrane domains in the amino acid sequence of human 26335 or DHY(SEQ ID NO:17) at about residues 67-83, 167-187, 270-288, and 295-311.

A search of the amino acid sequence of DHY was also performed againstthe ProSite database. This search resulted in the identification of a“serine/threonine dehydratase pyridoxal-phosphate attachment site” inthe amino acid sequence of DHY (SEQ ID NO:17) at about residues 39-52.

A search of the amino acid sequence of DHY was also performed againstthe HMM database. This search resulted in the identification of a“serine/threonine dehydratase domain” in the amino acid sequence of DHY(SEQ ID NO:17) at about residues 11-311 (score=229.5).

A search of the amino acid sequence of DHY was also performed againstthe ProDom database. This search resulted in the identification of a“pyridoxal phosphate-dependent lyase synthase domain” in the amino acidsequence of human DHY (SEQ ID NO:17) at about residues 18-282(score=88).

Tissue Distribution of Human 26335 or DHY mRNA Using TaqMan™ Analysis

Highest expression of DHY mRNA was detected in HMVECL, U937/A10P10,bronchial epithelium, astrocytes, primary osteoblasts, keratinocytes,bronchial epithelium mix (BEA8-2B), congestive heart failure (CHF) hearttissue, the pituitary gland, fetal kidney tissue, fetal liver tissue,mesangial, T24Ctl, T24 (treated), adrenal gland tissue, Burkitt'sLymphoma tissue, mammary epithelium, WT LNCap+casodex, A549 IL-1, SCC25CDDP-tongue squamous cell carcinoma tissue, testes, K563 (red blood cellline), A459 control (random-primed), liver tissue, prostate tissue,normal colon tissue, HMC-1 (mast cell line), normal megakarocytes, colonto liver metastasis (CHT128), colon to liver metastasis (CHT133), normalbreast tissue, PTH osteo, lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue PIT299,and d8 dendritic cells.

Lesser expression was also detected in HUVECL, HL60/S, prostateepithelium, coronary smooth muscle cells, fetal lung tissue, fetalthymus tissue, congestive heart failure (CHF) heart tissue, prostatesmooth muscle tissue, thyroid tissue, LPS 24 hour osteoblasts, uterinesmooth muscle tissue (treated), bronchial smooth muscle tissue,umbilical smooth muscle tissue (treated), A2780 WT, fetal liver tissue,fetal skin, fetal adrenal gland tissue, midterm placental tissue, lungcarcinoma tissue, embryonic keratinocytes, testes, skin, adipose,placental tissue (random-primed), kidney tissue (random-primed), HPK(random primed), salivary gland, heart tissue, the thymus, stomachtissue, spleen tissue, small intestine tissue, normal breast epithelia,normal ovarian epithelia, colon carcinoma tissue, ovarian ascites, serumstarved embryonic lung tissue, lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue,brain subcortical white matter, normal prostate tissue (ziplox), HUVEC L(umbilical endothelium).

No expression was detected in U937/A10p50, CaCo, Hela cells, HL60/Adr,fetal brain tissue, melanocytes, cerebellum, aortic endothelial cells,prostate fibroblast tissue, mammary gland tissue, natural killer cells,LPS 1 hr. osteoblasts, LPS 6 hr. osteoblasts, WT LNCap+ testosterone,A2780ADR, fetal spleen tissue, the esophagus, p65 con +/+, p65 IL-1+/+,pulmonary artery smooth muscle tissue, erythroleukemia cells, SCC25WT-tongue squamous cell carcinoma tissue, fetal hypothalamus, T cells(CD3 treated), T cells (CD3 IL-4/IL-10 treated), T cells (CD3 IFNg/TFNatreated), trachea tissue, ME 180 IL-1 cervical carcinoma tissue, ME 180control, MCP-1 mast cell line, HPKII, lung tissue (random primed), hearttissue (random primed), fetal brain tissue (random primed), testes(random primed), RAJI (Burkitt's lymphoma B cell), ST 486 (lymphoma Bcell), HL60 (acute promyelocytic leukemia), umbilical cord smooth muscletissue (treated, random primed), uterine smooth muscle (treated, randomprimed), mammary gland tissue (random primed), small intestine tissue(random primed), fetal liver tissue (random primed), skeletal livertissue (random primed), stomach tissue (random primed), spleen tissue(random primed), liver tissue (random primed), brain tissue (randomprimed), uterine tissue, uterine tissue (random primed), thymus tissue(random primed), 9 week fetus, lung tissue, skeletal muscle, retinalpigmentosa epithelial tissue, retinal tissue, bone marrow, Th-1 inducedT cell, Th-2 induced T cell, colon carcinoma tissue (NDR 109), coloncarcinoma tissue (NDR82), fetal dorsal spinal cord tissue, lungadenocarcinoma tissue (PIT245), megakaryocytes, BMCD34+, IBD colontissue, cervical cancer tissue, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, andovarian epithelium tumor tissue.

Human 50365

The human 50365 sequence (SEQ ID NO:20, as recited below), which isapproximately 3669 nucleotides long including untranslated regions,contains a predicted methionine-initiated coding sequence of about 2754nucleotides, including the termination codon. The coding sequenceencodes a 917 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:21, as recited below).

Human 50365 contains the following regions or other structural features:two hexokinase domains located at about amino acids 16 to 463 and 464 to910 of SEQ ID NO:21, the latter of which includes a predicted hexokinasesignature domain (PFAM Accession Number PS00378) from about amino acidresidue 597 to about amino acid residue 622 of SEQ ID NO:21; twoN-glycosylation sites (PS00001) from about amino acid 208 to about 211,and from about amino acid 655 to about 658, of SEQ ID NO:21; oneglycosaminoglycan attachment site (PS00002) from about amino acid 896 toabout 899 of SEQ ID NO:21; one cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasesite (PS00004) from about amino acid 500 to 503 of SEQ ID NO:21; twelveprotein kinase C phosphorylation sites (PS00005) from about amino acid172 to 174, 379 to 381, 449 to 451, 508 to 510, 523 to 525, 547 to 549,551 to 553, 772 to 774, 791 to 793, 826 to 828, 877 to 879, and 896 to898, of SEQ ID NO:21; thirteen casein kinase II sites (PS00006) fromabout amino acid 35 to 38, 114 to 117, 161 to 164, 243 to 246, 275 to278, 364 to 367, 569 to 572, 625 to 628, 722 to 725, 726 to 729, 787 to790, 810 to 813, and 877 to 880, of SEQ ID NO:21; two tyrosine kinasephosphorylation sites (PS00007) from about amino acid 20 to 27, and 490to 497, of SEQ ID NO:21; twenty-five N-myristylation sites (PS00008)from about amino acid 74 to 79, 151 to 156, 166 to 171, 179 to 184, 212to 217, 227 to 232, 233 to 238, 299 to 304, 317 to 322, 348 to 353, 360to 365, 411 to 416, 448 to 453, 518 to 523, 589 to 594, 613 to 618, 659to 664, 674 to 679, 680 to 685, 746 to 751, 779 to 784, 807 to 812, 834to 839, 858 to 863, and 895 to 900, of SEQ ID NO:21; and two amidationsites (PS00009) from amino acid 100 to 103, and amino acid 547 to 550 ofSEQ ID NO:21.

Human 50365 is predicted to be a soluble, cytoplasmic polypeptide.

For general information regarding PFAM identifiers, PS prefix and PFprefix domain identification numbers, refer to Sonnhammer et al. (1997)Protein 28:405-420.

The 50365 protein contains a significant number of structuralcharacteristics in common with members of the hexokinase family.Hexokinases are a family of sugar phosphorylating enzymes which carryout the phosphorylation of hexoses, for example, glucose, mannose,fructose, sorbitol and glucosamine, at the 6′-position. The phosphoryldonor can be MgATP, ITP, or dATP. Both α- and β-D-hexoses can bephosphorylated, although with different kinetic constants.

Four major isoenzymes are found in vertebrates: types I, II, III, andIV. The liver hexokinase isoenzyme (type IV) is also misleadingly knownas glucokinase, and is expressed only in the liver and pancreaticβ-cells. This isoenzyme has an important role in modulating insulinsecretion. Structurally, the enzymes typically include a smallN-terminal hydrophobic region, followed by two similar hexokinasedomains of about 450 residues each. The second such region has catalyticactivity, while the first has a regulatory role.

Hexokinases are present in nearly all cells. These enzymes have beenidentified as important for normal glycolytic activity. Irregularitiesin their function can lead to disorders such as diabetes and hemolyticanemia arising from hexokinase deficiency.

A 50365 polypeptide can include a “hexokinase domain” or regionshomologous with a “hexokinase domain”. Type I, II, and III mammalianhexokinase polypeptides typically include two hexokinase domains. Eachdomain can form a structural unit that includes features of an α/βsandwich. Each domain can include amino acids with regulatory and/orcatalytic functions, e.g., including a pocket for ATP and hexosesubstrates.

As used herein, the term “hexokinase domain” includes an amino acidsequence of about 300 to about 600 amino acid residues in length andhaving a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to the hexokinasedomain (HMM) of at least 300. Preferably, a hexokinase domain includesat least about 350 to about 500 amino acids, more preferably about 400to about 490 amino acid residues and has a bit score for the alignmentof the sequence to the hexokinase domain (HMM) of at least 500, 600,700, 800 or greater. The hexokinase domain (HMM) has been assigned thePFAM Accession PF00349.

In a preferred embodiment 50365 polypeptide or protein has a “hexokinasedomain” or a region which includes at least about 500 to about 1200,more preferably about 550 to about 1100 or about 600 to about 1000 aminoacid residues and has at least about 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100%homology with a “hexokinase domain,” e.g., the hexokinase domain ofhuman 50365 (e.g., residues 597 to 622 of SEQ ID NO:21).

Preferably, the hexokinase domain includes a “hexokinase signaturedomain”. This term refers to a protein domain having an amino acidsequence of at least about 15 to about 30 more preferably about 20 toabout 30 or about 24 to about 28 amino acid residues which includes thefollowing amino acid sequence:“L-G-F-T-F-S-F-P-C-x-Q-x-S-I-x-x-G-x-L-I-x-W-T-K-G-F” (SEQ ID NO:24).Preferably, a 50365 polypeptide or protein has a “hexokinase signaturedomain” or a region which includes and has at least about 60%, 70% 80%90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a “hexokinase signature domain,”e.g., the hexokinase signature domain of human 50365 (e.g., residues 597to 622 of SEQ ID NO:21).

To identify the presence of a “hexokinase” domain in a 50365 proteinsequence, and make the determination that a polypeptide or protein ofinterest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence of theprotein can be searched against the Pfam database of HMMs (e.g., thePfam database, release 2.1) using the default parameters. For example,the hmmsf program, which is available as part of the HMMER package ofsearch programs, is a family specific default program for MILPAT0063 anda score of 15 is the default threshold score for determining a hit.Alternatively, the threshold score for determining a hit can be lowered(e.g., to 8 bits). A description of the Pfam database can be found inSonhammer et al. (1997) Proteins 28(3):405-420 and a detaileddescription of HMMs can be found, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990)Meth. Enzymol. 183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531;and Stultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference. A search was performed against theHMM database resulting in the identification of two “hexokinase domains”in the amino acid sequence of human 50365 at about residues 16 to 463and 464 to 910 of SEQ ID NO:21, the identified hexokinase domainconsensus sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO:23.

A 50365 family member can include at least one hexokinase domain.Furthermore, a 50365 family member can include at least one, preferablytwo N-glycosylation sites (PS00001); at least one glycosaminoglycanattachment site (PS00002); at least one cAMP- and cGMP-dependent proteinkinase site (PS00004); at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,eight, nine, ten, eleven, or preferably twelve protein kinase Cphosphorylation sites (PS00005); at least one, two, three, four, five,six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, or preferably thirteenpredicted casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006); at leastone, or preferably two tyrosine kinase phosphorylation sites (PS00007);at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,eighteen, twenty, twenty-three, or preferably twenty-five predictedN-myristylation sites (PS00008); and at least one, preferably twoamidation sites (PS00009).

50365 polypeptides of the invention include fragments which include: allor part of a hydrophobic sequence, e.g., the sequence of from aboutamino acid residue 365 to about amino acid residue 380, or from aboutamino acid residue 645 to about amino acid residue 655, of SEQ ID NO:21;all or part of a hydrophilic sequence, e.g., the sequence of from aboutamino acid residue 98 to about amino acid residue 120, or from aboutamino acid residue 715 to about amino acid residue 745 of SEQ ID NO:21.

As the 50365 polypeptides of the invention may modulate 50365-mediatedactivities, they may be useful as of for developing novel diagnostic andtherapeutic agents for 50365-mediated or related disorders, as describedbelow.

As used herein, a “50365 activity”, “biological activity of 50365” or“functional activity of 50365”, refers to an activity exerted by a 50365protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule on e.g., a50365-responsive cell or on a 50365 substrate, e.g., a proteinsubstrate, as determined in vivo or in vitro. In one embodiment, a 50365activity is a direct activity, such as an association with a 50365target molecule. A “target molecule” or “binding partner” is a moleculewith which a 50365 protein binds or interacts in nature. In an exemplaryembodiment, is a 50365 substrate, e.g., an aldohexose or ketohexose(e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol and glucosamine), or aphosphate-containing molecule, e.g., ITP, dATP, or MgATP as phosphoryldonor.

A 50365 activity can also be an indirect activity, e.g., a cellularsignaling activity mediated by interaction of the 50365 protein with a50365 substrate. For example, the 50365 proteins of the presentinvention can have one or more of the following activities: (1) it cancatalyze the phosphorylation of a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and aketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine); (2) it can catalyze sugar metabolism; (3) it can transfera phosphate from a phosphate donor (e.g., ATP) to a sugar, e.g., analdohexoses and a ketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose,sorbitol and glucosamine) to form a phosphorylated sugar, e.g.,glucose-6-phosphate; (4) it can modulate glycolytic activities in a cellor tissue, e.g., a tissue in which a 50365 protein is expressed, e.g.,muscle tissue and colon; or (5) it can modulate sugar metabolism; and/or(6) it can modulate cellular proliferation and/or differentiation.

Based on its structural features, the 50365 molecules of the presentinvention can have similar biological activities as hexokinase familymembers.

Expression of 50365 mRNA is modulated in a number of cancerous tissuesamples. For example, 50365 mRNA is elevated in a number of colon tumorsand colonic liver metastases (see, e.g., section entitled “TissueDistribution of 50365 mRNA by TaqMan Analysis” below). Thus, the 50365molecules can act as novel diagnostic targets and therapeutic agents forcontrolling disorders of neoplasia, e.g., cancer, a cell differentiativedisorder, or a cell proliferative disorder as well as colon and lungdisorders. 50365 molecules can also act as indicators and an agent formetabolic disorders, e.g., disorders of sugar metabolism and glycolysis.

Identification and Characterization of Human 50365 cDNA

The human 50365 nucleic acid sequence is recited as follows:

(SEQ ID NO: 20)          CCACGCGTCCGGCCTGGACTGGAAGCGTGCAACACTCCAGAGTCGTAGGAGTGAACACTGCACAGGAATCTCTGCCCATCTCAGGAGAAAC CAAACTTGGGGAAA ATGTTTGCGGTCCACTTGATGGCATTTTACTTCAGCAAGCTGAAGGAGGACCAGATCAAGAAGGTGGACAGGTTCCTGTATCACATGCGGCTCTCCGATGACACCCTTTTGGACATCATGAGGCGGTTCCGGGCTGAGATGGAGAAGGGCCTGGCAAAGGACACCAACCCCACGGCTGCAGTGAAGATGTTGCCCACCTTCGTCAGGGCCATTCCCGATGGTTCCGAAAATGGGGAGTTCCTTTCCCTGGATCTCGGAGGGTCCAAGTTCCGAGTGCTGAAGGTGCAAGTCGCTGAAGAGGGGAAGCGACACGTGCAGATGGAGAGTCAGTTCTACCCAACGCCCAATGAAATCATCCGCGGGAACGGCATAGAGCTGTTTGAATATGTAGCTGACTGTCTGGCAGATTTCATGAAGACCAAAGATTTAAAGCATAAGAAATTGCCCCTTGGCCTAACTTTTTCTTTCCCCTGTCGACAGACTAAACTGGAAGAGGGTGTCCTACTTTCGTGGACAAAAAAGTTTAAGGCACGAGGAGTTCAGGACACGGATGTGGTGAGCCGTCTGACCAAAGCCATGAGAAGACACAAGGACATGGACGTGGACATCCTGGCCCTGGTCAATGACACCGTGGGGACCATGATGACCTGTGCCTATGACGACCCCTACTGCGAAGTTGGTGTCATCATCGGAACTGGCACCAATGCGTGTTACATGGAGGACATGAGCAACATTGACCTGGTGGAGGGCGACGAGGGCAGGATGTGCATCAACACAGAGTGGGGGGCCTTCGGGGACGACGGGGCCCTGGAGGACATTCGCACTGAGTTCGACAGGGAGCTGGACCTCGGCTCTCTCAACCCAGGAAAGCAACTGTTCGAGAAGATGATCAGTGGCCTGTACCTGGGGGAGCTTGTCAGGCTTATCTTGCTGAAGATGGCCAAGGCTGGCCTCCTGTTTGGTGGTGAGAAATCTTCTGCTCTCCACACTAAGGGCAAGATCGAAACACGGCACGTGGCTGCCATGGAGAAGTATAAAGAAGGCCTTGCTAATACAAGAGAGATCCTGGTGGACCTGGGTCTGGAACCGTCTGAGGCTGACTGCATTGCCGTCCAGCATGTCTGTACCATCGTCTCCTTCCGCTCGGCCAATCTCTGTGCAGCAGCTCTGGCGGCCATCCTGACACGCCTCCGGGAGAACAAGAAGGTGGAACGGCTCCGGACCACAGTGGGCATGGACGGCACCCTCTACAAGATACACCCTCAGTACCCAAAACGCCTGCACAAGGTGGTGAGGAAACTGGTCCCAAGCTGTGATGTCCGCTTCCTCCTGTCAGAGAGTGGCAGCACCAAGGGGGCCGCCATGGTGACCGCGGTGGCCTCCCGCGTGCAGGCCCAGCGGAAGCAGATCGACAGGGTGCTGGCTTTGTTCCAGCTGACCCGAGAGCAGCTCGTGGACGTGCAGGCCAAGATGCGGGCTGAGCTGGAGTATGGGCTGAAGAAGAAGAGCCACGGGCTGGCCACGGTCAGGATGCTGCCCACCTACGTCTGCGGGCTGCCGGACGGCACAGAGAAAGGAAAGTTTCTCGCCCTGGATCTTGGGGGAACCAACTTCCGGGTCCTCCTGGTGAAGATCAGAAGTGGACGGAGGTCAGTGCGAATGTACAACAAGATCTTCGCCATCCCCCTGGAGATCATGCAGGGCACTGGTGAGGAGCTCTTTGATCACATTGTGCAGTGCATCGCCGACTTCCTGGACTACATGGGCCTCAAGGGAGCCTCCCTACCTTTGGGCTTCACATTCTCATTTCCCTGCAGGCAGATGAGCATTGACAAGGGAACACTCATAGGGTGGACCAAAGGTTTCAAGGCCACTGACTGTGAAGGGGAGGACGTGGTGGACATGCTCAGGGAAGCCATCAAGAGGAGAAACGAGTTTGACCTGGACATTGTTGCAGTCGTGAATGATACAGTGGGGACCATGATGACCTGTGGCTATGAAGATCCTAATTGTGAGATTGGCCTGATTGCAGGAACAGGCAGCAACATGTGCTACATGGAGGACATGAGGAACATCGAGATGGTGGAGGGGGGTGAAGGGAAGATGTGCATCAATACAGAGTGGGGAGGATTTGGAGACAATGGCTGCATAGATGACATCCGGACCCGATACGACACGGAGGTGGATGAGGGGTCCTTGAATCCTGGCAAGCAGAGATACGAGAAAATGACCAGTGGGATGTACTTGGGGGAGATTGTGCGGCAGATCCTGATCGACCTGACCAAGCAGGGTCTCCTCTTCCGAGGGCAGATTTCAGAGCGTCTCCGGACCAGGGGCATCTTCGAAACCAAGTTCCTGTCCCAGATCGAAAGCGATCGGCTGGCCCTTCTCCAGGTCAGGAGGATTCTGCAGCAGCTGGGCCTGGACAGCACGTGTGAGGACAGCATCGTGGTGAAGGAGGTGTGCGGAGCCGTGTCCCGGCGGGCGGCCCAGCTCTGCGGTGCTGGCCTGGCCGCTATAGTGGAAAAAAGGAGAGAAGACCAGGGGCTAGAGCACCTGAGGATCACTGTGGGTGTGGACGGCACCCTGTACAAGCTGCACCCTCACTTTTCTAGAATATTGCAGGAAACTGTGAAGGAACTAGCCCCTCGATGTGATGTGACATTCATGCTGTCAGAAGATGGCAGTGGAAAAGGGGCAGCACTGATCACTGCTGTGGCCAAGAGGTTACAGCAG GCACAGAAGGAGAAC TAGGAACCCCTGGGATTGGACCTGATGCATCTTGGATACTGAACAGCTTTTCCTCTGGCAGATCAGTTGGTCAGAGACCAATGGGCACCCTCCTGGCTGACCTCACCTTCTGGATGGCCGAAAGAGAACCCCAGGTTCTCGGGTACTCTTAGTATCTTGTACTGGATTTGCAGTGACATTACATGACATCTCTATTTGGTATATTTGGGCCAAAATGGGCCAACTTATGAAATCAAAGTGTCTGTCCTGAGAGATCCCCTTTCAACACATTGTTCAGGTGAGGCTTGAGCTGTCAATTCTCTATGGCTTTCAGTCTTGTGGCTGCGGGACTTGGAAATATATAGAATCTGCCCATGTGGCTGGCAGGCTGTTTCCCCATTGGGATGCTTAAGCCATCTCTTATAGGGGATTGGACCCTGTACTTGTGGATGAACATTGGAGAGCAAGAGGAACTCACGTTATGAACTAGGGGGATCTCATCTAACTTGTCCTTAACTTGCCATGTTGACTTCAAACCTGTTAAGAGAACAAAGACTTTGAAGTATCCAGCCCCAGGGTGCAGAGAGGTTGATTGCCAGGGAGCACTGCAGGAATCATTGCATGCTTAAAGCGAGTTATGTCAGCACCCTGTAGGATTTTGTTCCTTATTAAGTGTGTGCCATGTGGTGGGGTGCTGTCTGGGGCATCTGTTTTTCATTTTGCCTGTGGTTTGTGTTGCAGSTGTTGATAGTTGTTTTAAGGATTGTTAGGTATAGGAAATCCAGTAAATTAATAAAAAAATTTTGATTTTCCAATAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

The human 50365 sequence (SEQ ID NO:20) is approximately 3669nucleotides long. The nucleic acid sequence includes an initiation codon(ATG) and a termination codon (TAA) which are underscored and boldedabove. The region between and inclusive of the initiation codon and thetermination codon is a methionine-initiated coding sequence of about2754 nucleotides (SEQ ID NO:22), including the termination codon. Thecoding sequence encodes a 917 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:21), whichis recited as follows:

(SEQ ID NO: 21)          MFAVHLMAFYFSKLKEDQIKKVDRFLYHMRLSDDTLLDIMRRFRAEMEKGLAKDTNPTAAVKMLPTFVRAIPDGSENGEFLSLDLGGSKFRVLKVQVAEEGKRHVQMESQFYPTPNEIIRGNGIELFEYVADCLADFMKTKDLKHKKLPLGLTFSFPCRQTKLEEGVLLSWTKKFKARGVQDTDVVSRLTKAMRRHKDMDVDILALVNDTVGTMMTCAYDDPYCEVGVIIGTGTNACYMEDMSNIDLVEGDEGRMCINTEWGAFGDDGALEDIRTEFDRELDLGSLNPGKQLFEKMISGLYLGELVRLILLKMAKAGLLFGGEKSSALHTKGKIETRHVAAMEKYKEGLANTREILVDLGLEPSEADCIAVQHVCTIVSFRSANLCAAALAAILTRLRENKKVERLRTTVGMDGTLYKIHPQYPKRLHKVVRKLVPSCDVRFLLSESGSTKGAAMVTAVASRVQAQRKQIDRVLALFQLTREQLVDVQAKMRAELEYGLKKKSHGLATVRMLPTYVCGLPDGTEKGKFLALDLGGTNFRVLLVKIRSGRRSVRMYNKIFAIPLEIMQGTGEELFDHIVQCIADFLDYMGLKGASLPLGFTFSFPCRQMSIDKGTLIGWTKGFKATDCEGEDVVDMLREAIKRRNEFDLDIVAVVNDTVGTMMTCGYEDPNCEIGLIAGTGSNMCYMEDMRNIEMVEGGEGKMCINTEWGGFGDNGCIDDIRTRYDTEVDEGSLNPGKQRYEKMTSGMYLGEIVRQILIDLTKQGLLFRGQISERLRTRGIFETKFLSQIESDRLALLQVRRILQQLGLDSTCEDSIVVKEVCGAVSRRAAQLCGAGLAAIVEKRREDQGLEHLRITVGVDGTLYKLHPHFSRILQETVKELAPRCDVTFMLSEDGSGKGAALITAVAKRLQQAQKEN.Tissue Distribution of 50365 mRNA by TAQMAN™ Analysis

Endogenous human 50365 gene expression was determined using thePerkin-Elmer/ABI 7700 Sequence Detection System which employs TAQMAN™technology.

To determine the level of 50365 in various human tissues a primer/probeset was designed. Total RNA was prepared from a series of human tissuesusing an RNEASY™ kit from Qiagen. First strand cDNA was prepared from 1μg total RNA using an oligo-dT primer and SUPERSCRIPT II™ reversetranscriptase (Gibco/BRL). cDNA obtained from approximately 50 ng totalRNA was used per TAQMAN™ reaction. Tissues tested include the humantissues and several cell lines shown in Tables 2 and 3 below. 50365 mRNAwas detected in colon and liver tissue, and upregulated in colonic livermetastases (Table 2). In addition, 50365 mRNA was also detectable inadenomas and adenocarcinomas. 50365 expression was also found to alesser extent in some lung tumor and ovary tumor tissues (Table 3).

TABLE 2 Tissue Type Expression CHT 410 Colon Normal 0.32 CHT 425 ColonNormal 0.41 CHT 371 Colon Normal 1.06 PIT 281 Colon Normal 0.00 NDR 211Colon Normal 0.22 CHT 122 Adenomas 0.21 CHT 887 Adenomas 1.65 CHT 414Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 0.47 CHT 841 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 0.05 CHT890 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 0.58 CHT 910 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 3.85CHT 377 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 0.00 CHT 520 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-C0.80 CHT 596 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-C 0.77 CHT 907 ColonicAdenocarcinoma-C 2.41 CHT 372 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-C 2.09 NDR 210Colonic Adenocarcinoma-C 0.95 CHT 1365 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-C 2.54 CLN740 Liver Normal 0.00 CLN 741 Liver Normal 0.00 NDR 165 Liver Normal0.00 NDR 150 Liver Normal 0.14 PIT 236 Liver Normal 0.00 CHT 1878 LiverNormal 0.00 CHT 119 Colon Liver Metastasis 7.52 CHT 131 Colon LiverMetastasis 0.77 CHT 218 Colon Liver Metastasis 5.45 CHT 739 Colon LiverMetastasis 10.53 CHT 755 Colon Liver Metastasis 3.64 CHT 215 ColonAbdominal Metastasis 0.24 PIT 337 Colon Normal 0.29 CHT 807 ColonicAdenocarcinoma-B 61.64 CHT 382 Colonic Adenocarcinoma-B 57.11 CHT 077Colon Liver Metastasis 180.49

The mRNA expression data for 50365 mRNA tabulated in Table 2 indicatethat 50365 expression is upregulated in some adenomas andadenocarcinomas, and in most colonic liver metastases (see “RelativeExpression” values). Relative expression in Table 2 is relative toexpression of β2-macroglobulin.

TABLE 3 Tissue Type Expression PIT 400 Breast Normal 0.00 PIT 372 BreastNormal 0.00 CHT 559 Breast Normal 0.00 MDA 236-Breast Tumor:PD-IDC(ILC?) 0.00 MDA 304 Breast Tumor: MD-IDC 0.00 CHT 2002 BreastTumor: IDC 0.00 CHT 562 Breast Tumor: IDC 0.00 NDR 138 Breast Tumor ILC(LG) 0.00 CHT 1841 Lymph node (Breast Metastasis) 0.00 PIT 58 Lung(Breast Metastasis) 0.00 CHT 620 Ovary Normal 0.00 PIT 208 Ovary Normal0.00 CLN 012 Ovary Tumor 0.00 CLN 07 Ovary Tumor 0.05 CLN 17 Ovary Tumor1.38 MDA 25 Ovary Tumor 0.00 MDA 216 Ovary Tumor 0.00 PIT 298 LungNormal 0.00 MDA 185 Lung Normal 0.00 CLN 930 Lung Normal 0.00 MPI 215Lung Tumor--SmC 0.00 MDA 259 Lung Tumor-PDNSCCL 0.00 CHT 832 LungTumor-PDNSCCL 0.97 MDA 262 Lung Tumor-Small Cell Carcinoma 0.00 CHT 793Lung Tumor-Adenocarcinoma 0.03 CHT 331 Lung Tumor-Adenocarcinoma 0.00CHT 405 Colon Normal 0.16 CHT 523 Colon Normal 0.65 CHT 371 Colon Normal2.38 CHT 382 Colon Tumor: MD 0.88 CHT 528 Colon Tumor: MD 7.84 CLN 609Colon Tumor 2.21 NDR 210 Colon Tumor: MD-PD 0.84 CHT 340 Colon-LiverMetastasis 3.23 NDR 100 Colon-Liver Metastasis 1.11 PIT 260 Liver Normal(female) 1.17 CHT 1653 Cervix Squamous CC 0.00 CHT 569 Cervix SquamousCC 0.00 A24 HMVEC-Arr 0.00 C48 HMVEC-Prol 0.00 Pooled Hemangiomas 0.00HCT116N22 Normal Ox.ygenation 0.97 HCT116H22 Hypoxic 0.00

50365 mRNA was analyzed by TaqMan in a number of cell lines derived fromnormal and tumor cells (Table 3). Relative expression in Table 3 isrelative to expression of β2-macroglobulin. Elevated 50365 mRNAexpression levels were detected in some colon cell lines, e.g., normalcolon, colon tumor; colonic liver metastases; some lung cell lines,e.g., lung tumor-PDNSCCL (poorly differentiated non-small cell carcinomaof the lung), lung tumor-adenocarcinoma; and an ovary tumor cell line.50365 mRNA was also detected under normal oxygenation conditions.

Human 21117

The human 21117 sequence (SEQ ID NO:25), which is approximately 3544nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 1998 nucleotides(nucleotides 589 to 2586 of SEQ ID NO:25; SEQ ID NO:27). The codingsequence encodes a 665 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:26).

Human 21117 contains the following regions or other structural features:a dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain (PF00782) located fromabout amino acid residue 158 to 297 of SEQ ID NO:26; a rhodanese-likedomain (PF00581) located from about amino acid residue 11 to 131 of SEQID NO:26; and one tyrosine specific protein phosphatase active site(PS00383) at amino acids 242 to 254 of SEQ ID NO:26.

The 21117 protein additionally includes: six predicted N-glycosylationsites (PS00001) at amino acids 38 to 41, 49 to 52, 190 to 193, 212 to215, 300 to 303, and 640 to 643 of SEQ ID NO:26; two predicted cAMP andcGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites (PS00004) at aminoacids 277 to 280 and 624 to 627 of SEQ ID NO:26; twelve predictedProtein Kinase C sites (PS00005) at about amino acids 12 to 14, 23 to25, 72 to 74, 82 to 84, 393 to 395, 439 to 441; 473 to 475, 481 to 483,486 to 488, 596 to 598, 604 to 606, and 609 to 611 of SEQ ID NO:26;thirteen casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006) at amino acids21 to 24, 91 to 94, 214 to 217, 266 to 269, 369 to 372, 421 to 424, 434to 437, 458 to 461, 508 to 511, 589 to 592, 612 to 615, 617 to 620, and642 to 645 of SEQ ID NO:26; and seven predicted N-myristoylation sites(PS00008) from about amino acid 134 to 139, 247 to 252, 329 to 334, 382to 387, 520 to 525, 574 to 579, and 650 to 655 of SEQ ID NO:26.

21117 polypeptides of the invention include 21117 fragments thatinclude: all or part of a hydrophobic sequence e.g., all or part of thesequence from about residue 91 to about residue 106 of SEQ ID NO:26;and/or all or part of a hydrophilic sequence e.g., all or part of thesequence from about residue 592 to about residue 633 of SEQ ID NO:26.Other fragments include a cysteine residue or a glycosylation site.

Human 38692

The human 38692 sequence (SEQ ID NO:28), which is approximately 1114nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 672 nucleotides(nucleotides 89 to 760 of SEQ ID NO:28; SEQ ID NO:30). The codingsequence encodes a 223 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:29).

Human 38692 contains the following regions or other structural features:a dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain (PF00782) located fromabout amino acid residue 28 to 173 of SEQ ID NO:29; one predictedProtein Kinase C phosphorylation site (PS00005) at about amino acids 201to 203 of SEQ ID NO:29; one predicted casein kinase II phosphorylationsite (PS0006) at amino acids 205 to 208 of SEQ ID NO:29; two predictedN-myristoylation sites (PS00008) from about amino acid 123 to 128 and197 to 202 of SEQ ID NO:29; and two tyrosine kinase phosphorylationsites (PS00007) at amino acids 15 to 23 and 142 to 149 of SEQ ID NO:29.

38692 polypeptides of the invention include 38692 fragments thatinclude: all or part of a hydrophobic sequence, e.g., all or part of thesequence from about residue 31 to about residue 41 of SEQ ID NO:29;and/or all or part of a hydrophilic fragment e.g., all or part of thesequence from about residue 200 to about residue 212 of SEQ ID NO:29.Other fragments include cysteine residues.

21117 and 38692 Dual Specificity Phosphatase Proteins

The intracellular phosphorylation of proteins is critical for a plethoraof regulatory and signalling pathways in eukaryotic cells.Phosphorylation events can govern a wide range of cellular processes,including cell proliferation, differentiation, transcription, andmorphology. An essential component of these signalling pathways is theability of the cell to desensitize, recycle, and counteractphosphorylation signals. The cell primarily utilizes enzymes, termedphosphatases, which remove the phosphate on tyrosine, serine, andthreonine side chains. The protein phosphatases are divided into threegroups according to catalytic function: (1) protein phosphatases thatdephosphorylate serine and threonine residues; (2) protein phosphataseswhich dephosphorylate tyrosine residues; and (3) dual specificityprotein phosphatases which dephosphorylate serine, threonine andtyrosine residues.

Serine/threonine protein phosphatases are associated with the regulationof cholesterol biosynthesis, glycogen metabolism, muscle contractility,calcium ion channels, protein synthesis, regulation of the G2 to Mtransition of the cell cycle, regulation of glycolysis(6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and pyruvate kinase), glycogenolysis(phosphorylase kinase subunit), gluconeogenesis(fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase and pyruvate kinase), amino-aciddegradation (phenylalanine hydroxylase), lipid metabolism (acetyl-CoAcarboxylase), catecholamine synthesis (tyrosine hydroxylase) and proteinsynthesis (elongation factor 2).

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are a family of intracellular andintegral membrane phosphatases that dephosphorylate tyrosine residues inproteins. PTPs have been identified in mammals, Drosophila and Schiz.pombe and are implicated in the control of normal and neoplastic growthand proliferation. They have also been found encoded by plasmids inbacteria of the genus Yersinia, where they are implicated inpathogenicity.

Dual specificity phosphatases hydrolyze phosphotyrosine,phosphothreonine, and phosphoserine residues (for a review, see, e.g.,Fauman and Saper (1996) Trends in Biochem. 21:412). This class ofproteins is exemplified by the VH1 or vaccinia virus late H1 geneprotein, whose catalytic activity is required for vaccinia virusreplication. A human homolog of VH1, VHR, has also been identified.VH1-like dual specificity phosphatase can also include the phosphatasesPAC-1 and CL100/MKP-1, hVH-2/MKP-2, hVH-3, MKP-3, MKP-X, MKP-4, hVH-5,and M3/6 proteins. The PAC-1 and CL100 proteins hydrolyzephosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine residues on phosphorylated MAP(mitogen activated protein) kinases. In order to modulate signallingevents, the activity and expression of dual specificity phosphatases canbe finely regulated. For example, the PAC-1 and CL100 phosphatase can beinduced by growth factors (Keyse, S (1995) Biochim. Biophys. Acta1265:152-160).

The 21117 and 38692 proteins contain a significant number of structuralcharacteristics in common with members of the dual specificityphosphatase family.

Dual specificity phosphatase proteins are characterized by a commonfold. Examples of members of the dual specificity phosphatase familyinclude MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), which dephosphorylates MAPkinase on both threonine and tyrosine residues and a human, vacciniaH1-related phosphatase (VHR), which also removes the phosphate fromphosphothreonine and phosphotyrosine residues. Dual specificityphosphatases are exemplified by the VH1 or vaccinia virus late H1 geneprotein, which hydrolyzes both phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, andphosphoserine. VH1 catalytic activity is required for viral replication.A human homolog of VH1, VHR, has been identified. The three dimensionalstructure of this family is based on models from x-ray crystallographicdata of protein tyrosine phosphatases, and human VHR. The VHR structureincludes a core domain consisting of a five-stranded mixed β-sheet andsix α-helices. This structure closely superimposes on the structure ofphosphotyrosine protein phosphatases. However, dual specificityphosphatases lack the KNRY motif, and the N-terminal structures oftyrosine protein phosphatases which endow these enzymes with a deepactive site specific for aryl phosphates. Thus, dual specificityphosphatases have a shallower active site relative to tyrosine proteinphosphatases and can accommodate phosphoserine and phosphothreoninesubstrates. Even so dual specificity phosphatases can have a greaterthan 50-fold faster rate of phosphatase activity for phosphotyrosinesubstrates than phosphothreonine or phosphoserine substrates.

Similar to the broader class of phosphatases, dual specificityphosphatases have a highly conserved active site including threecatalytic residues, a cysteine, an arginine, and an aspartic acid. Theactive site cysteine and arginine are found in the “C—X₅—R” motif of thetyrosine phosphatase signature (Prosite PS00383). This motif forms abinding pocket for three of the phosphate oxyanions. The cysteine actsas a nucleophile to accept the PO₃ group. The reaction transientlygenerates a phospho-cysteine intermediate before the phosphate istransferred to water. The active site arginine stabilizes thetransition-state by hydrogen bonding to phosphate oxygens. In additionthe histidine preceding the active site cysteine and the serine orthreonine following the active site arginine are responsible forlowering the pK_(a) of the cysteine to stabilize a negative charge onthe cysteine. The active site aspartic acid accelerates the reaction bydonating a protein to generate an uncharged hydroxyl (for a review, seeFauman and Saper (1996) Trends in Biochem. 21:412). A C—X₅—R motif isfound in the 21117 protein at about amino acids 242 to 254 of SEQ IDNO:26.

The 21117 and 38692 proteins of the present invention show significanthomology to members of the dual specificity phosphatase family. Dualspecificity phosphatases are known to play critical roles in growthfactor signaling. For example, vaccinia H1-related (VHR)-likephosphatases are known to dephosphorylate growth factor receptors andthereby eliminate their signaling. MAP-kinase phosphatases terminateMAP-kinase activity, thus leading to inhibition of growthfactor-mediated mitogenic signaling. Thus, dual specificity phosphatasesplay a key role in inhibiting proliferation and stimulating thedifferentiation of cells. As the 21117 and 38692 proteins show homologyto dual specificity phosphatases, these proteins are likely to beinvolved in modulating (e.g., inhibiting) the proliferation and (e.g.,stimulating) the differentiation of the cells in which they areexpressed, e.g., hematopoietic cells such as eythroid cells, myeloidcells, monocytes, or megakaryocytes. Accordingly, the 21117 and 38692molecules of the invention may be useful for developing novel diagnosticand therapeutic agents for 21117 and 38692-mediated or relateddisorders, as described below.

A 21117 or 38692 polypeptide of the invention can include a “dualspecificity phosphatase catalytic domain” or regions homologous with a“dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain”. As used herein, theterm “dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain” refers to an aminoacid sequence having about 50 to 250, preferably about 100 to 200, morepreferably about 120 to 160 amino acid residues and having a bit scorefor the alignment of the sequence to the dual specificity phosphatasedomain (HMM) of at least 50, preferably 100, more preferably 120, 200,or more. The dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain (HMM) hasbeen assigned the PFAM Accession Number PF00782.

A dual specificity phosphatase domain preferably includes the conservedactive site residues cysteine and arginine in a C—X₅—R motif found atabout amino acids 242 to 254 of SEQ ID NO:26 (the 21117 protein).Preferably, a dual specificity phosphatase domain includes a conservedgeneral amino acid, e.g., aspartic acid. For example, a 21117 proteinhas an aspartic acid located at about residue 213 of SEQ ID NO:26 and a38692 protein has an aspartic acid located at about residue 89 of SEQ IDNO:29. Typically, dual specificity phosphatases are able todephosphorylate tyrosine residues and serine/threonine residues.

In a preferred embodiment, a 21117 or 38692 polypeptide or protein has a“dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain” or a region thatincludes at least about 50 to 250, preferably about 100 to 200, morepreferably about 120 to 160, and even more preferably about 130 to 150amino acid residues and has at least about 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100%homology with a “dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain,” e.g.,the dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain of human 21117 (e.g.,residues 158 to 297 of SEQ ID NO:26) or 38692 (e.g., residues 28 to 173of SEQ ID NO:29).

To identify the presence of a “dual specificity phosphatase catalyticdomain” in a 21117 or 38692 protein sequence and to make thedetermination that a polypeptide or protein of interest has a particularprofile, the amino acid sequence of the protein can be searched againsta database of HMMs (e.g., the Pfam database, release 2.1) using defaultparameters. For example, the hmmsf program, which is available as partof the HMMER package of search programs, is a family specific defaultprogram for MILPAT0063 and a score of 15 is the default threshold scorefor determining a hit. Alternatively, the threshold score fordetermining a hit can be lowered (e.g., to 8 bits). A description of thePfam database can be found in Sonhammer et al. (1997) Proteins28(3):405-420 and a detailed description of HMMs can be found, forexample, in Gribskov et al. (1990) Meth. Enzymol. 183:146-159; Gribskovet al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:4355-4358; Krogh et al.(1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531; and Stultz et al. (1993) ProteinSci. 2:305-314, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. A search was performed against the HMM database resulting inthe identification of a “dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain”e.g., the dual specificity phosphatase catalytic domain of human 21117(amino acids 158 to 297 of SEQ ID NO:26) or human 38692 (amino acids 28to 173 of SEQ ID NO:29). The identified dual specificity phosphatasecatalytic domain consensus sequences of human 21117 and of human 38692are set forth in SEQ ID NO:31 and 32, respectively.

Human 21117 also contains a “rhodanese-like” domain (PF00581) from aboutamino acid 11 to 131 of SEQ ID NO:26. The rhodanese-like domain isoccasionally found in a single copy in phosphatases, such as Cdc25phosphatase, a dual-specificity phosphatase. Rhodanese is about 300amino acids in length and has a conserved domain at the N-terminus andat the C-terminus. A cysteine residue is part of the active site of theenzyme. In a preferred embodiment, a 21117 polypeptide or protein has a“rhodanese-like domain” or a region that includes at least about 80 to300 amino acids, preferably about 100 to 150 amino acid residues, andhas at least about 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a“rhodanese-like domain,” e.g., the rhodanese-like domain of human 21117(e.g., residues 11 to 131 of SEQ ID NO:26). A search was performedagainst the HMM database resulting in the identification of two“rhodanese-like domains” in human 21117 (amino acids 11 to 131 and aminoacids 12 to 134 of SEQ ID NO:26). The identified rhodanese-like domainconsensus sequences of human 21117 are set forth in SEQ ID NO:33 and 34.

As used herein, a “21117 or 38692 activity”, “biological activity of21117 or 38692” or “functional activity of 21117 or 38692”, refers to anactivity exerted by a 21117 or 38692 protein, polypeptide or nucleicacid molecule on e.g., a 21117 or 38692-responsive cell or on a 21117 or38692 substrate, e.g., a protein substrate, as determined in vivo or invitro. In one embodiment, an 21117 or 38692 activity is a directactivity, such as an association with a 21117 or 38692 target molecule.A “target molecule” or “binding partner” is a molecule with which a21117 or 38692 protein binds or interacts in nature. A 21117 or 38692activity can also be an indirect activity, e.g., a cellular signalingactivity mediated by interaction of the 21117 or 38692 protein with an21117 or 38692 receptor.

Based on the above-described sequence similarities, the 21117 or 38692molecules of the present invention are predicted to have similarbiological activities as dual specificity phosphatase family members,probably of the VHR-type. Since VHR-phosphatases inhibit growth factorsignaling by dephosphorylating, e.g., growth factor receptors, the 21117or 38692 molecules of the invention are predicted to have one or more ofthe following activities: (1) catalyze the removal of a phosphate groupattached to a tyrosine residue in a protein target, e.g., a growthfactor receptor; (2) catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attachedto a serine or threonine residue in a protein e.g., a growth factorreceptor; (3) modulate growth factor activity; (4) modulate anintracellular signaling pathway, e.g., a MAP kinase or ERK kinasepathway; (5) modulate (e.g., stimulate) cell differentiation, e.g.,differentiation of a 38692- or a 21117-expressing cell, e.g., a breast,colon, lung, or adipose cell, a bone cell, an endothelial cell, a livercell, or a hematopoietic cell (e.g., a myeloid (neutrophil) cell, amonocyte, an erythroid cell, a bone marrow cell, a CD34-expressing cell,a megakaryocyte); (6) stimulate hematopoiesis; (7) modulate cellproliferation, e.g., proliferation of a 38692- or a 21117-expressingcell, e.g., a breast, colon, lung, or adipose cell, a bone cell, anendothelial cell, a liver cell, or a hematopoietic cell (e.g., a myeloid(neutrophil) cell, a monocyte, an erythroid cell, a bone marrow cell, aCD34-expressing cell, a megakaryocyte); (8) inactivate cell surfacegrowth factor receptors, e.g., tyrosine kinase receptors; or (9)modulate apoptosis, of a cell, e.g., a cancer cell, e.g., a leukemiccell.

As assessed by TAQMAN™ analysis described herein, 38692 mRNA isexpressed in hematopoietic cells, and in particular, in erythroid celllineages, therefore the molecules of the invention can be used todevelop novel agents or compounds to treat and/or diagnose disordersinvolving aberrant activities of those cells e.g., hematopoietic, and inparticular, erythroid disorders, as described below. For example, 38692polypeptide is expressed in megakaryocytes, fetal liver CD34+ cells,erythroid progenitor cells (e.g., bone marrow glycophorin A positivecells (BM GPA+)), and Bone Marrow Glycophorin A (BM GPA) low CD71+.

As used herein, a “CD34-positive cell” refers to a cell that expressesdetectable levels of the CD34 antigen, preferably human CD34 antigen.The sequence for human CD34 is provided in SwissProt Accession NumberP28906. The CD34 antigen is typically present on immature hematopoieticprecursor cells and hematopoietic colony-forming cells in the bonemarrow, including unipotent (CFU-GM, BFU-E) and pluripotent progenitors(CFU-GEMM, CFU-Mix and CFU-blast). The CD34 is also expressed on stromalcell precursors. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-positive B-and T-lymphoid precursors in normal bone also are CD34+. The CD34antigen is typically present on early myeloid cells that express theCD33 antigen, but lack the CD14 and CD15 antigens and on early erythroidcells that express the CD71 antigen and dimly express the CD45 antigen.The CD34 antigen is also found on capillary endothelial cells andapproximately 1% of human thymocytes. Normal peripheral bloodlymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes and platelets do not express theCD34 antigen. CD34 antigen density is highest on early haematopoieticprogenitor cells and decreases as the cells mature. The antigen isundetectably on fully differentiated haematopoietic cells. Approximately60% of acute B-lymphoid leukemia's and acute myeloid leukemia expressthe CD34 antigen. The antigen is not expressed on chronic lymphoidleukemia (B or T lineage) or lymphomas.

As the 38692 polypeptides of the invention may modulate 38692-mediatedactivities, they may be useful as of for developing novel diagnostic andtherapeutic agents for 38692-mediated or related disorders, e.g.,hematopoietic related disorders, or erythroid-associated disorders. Asassessed by TAQMAN™ analysis, 38692 is expressed at high levels in fetalliver, HepG2.2.15-A liver cells, and Hep3B hypoxia cells, therefore themolecules of the invention can be used to develop novel agents orcompounds to treat and/or diagnose liver related disorders.

Further TAQMAN™ analyses have demonstrated that 21117 mRNA is expressedin normal breast, normal colon, normal adipose tissue, prostate tumorand lung chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) tissue. Thus,diagnostic and therapeutic methods of using the 21117 molecules of theinvention to treat/diagnose breast, colon, adipose, prostate, and lungdisorders are also contemplated by the present invention.

Identification and Characterization of Human 38692 and 21117 cDNA

The human 21117 sequence (SEQ ID NO:25), which is approximately 3544nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 1998 nucleotides(nucleotides 589 to 2586 of SEQ ID NO:25; SEQ ID NO:27). The codingsequence encodes a 666 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:26).

The human 38692 sequence (SEQ ID NO:28), which is approximately 1114nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 672 nucleotides(nucleotides 89 to 760 of SEQ ID NO:28; SEQ ID NO:30). The codingsequence encodes a 224 amino acid protein (SEQ ID NO:29).

Tissue Distribution of 38692 or 21117 mRNA

Endogenous human 21117 and 38692 gene expression was determined usingthe Perkin-Elmer/ABI 7700 Sequence Detection System which employsTAQMAN™ technology.

To determine the level of 21117 mRNA in various human tissues aprimer/probe set was designed using Primer Express (Perkin-Elmer)software and primary cDNA sequence information. Total RNA was preparedfrom a series of tissues using an RNEASY™ kit from Qiagen. First strandcDNA was prepared from 1 μg total RNA using an oligo-dT primer andSUPERSCRIPT II™ reverse transcriptase (Gibco/BRL). cDNA obtained fromapproximately 50 ng total RNA was used per TAQMAN™ reaction.

21117 mRNA levels were analyzed in a variety of tissue samples, bothnormal and diseased, including (1) Aorta/normal; (2) Fetal heart/normal;(3) Heart normal; (4) Heart/Coronary heart failure (CHF); (5)Vein/Normal; (6) SMC (Aortic); (7) Spinal cord/Normal; (8) Braincortex/Normal; (9) Brain hypothalamus/Normal; (10) Glial cells(Astrocytes); (11) Brain/Glioblastoma; (12) Breast/Normal; (13) Breasttumor/IDC; (14) ovary/Normal; (15) ovary/Tumor; (16) Pancreas; (17)Prostate/Normal; (18) Prostate/Tumr; (19) Colon/normal; (20)Colon/tumor; (21) Colon/IBD (inflammatory bowel disease); (22)Kidney/normal; (23) Liver/normal; (24) Liver fibrosis; (25) FetalLiver/normal; (26) Lung/normal; (27) Lung/tumor; (28) Lung/chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); (29) Spleen/normal; (30)Tonsil/normal; (31) Lymph node/normal; (32) Thymus/normal; (33)Epithelial Cells (prostate); (34) Endothelial Cells (aortic); (35)Skeletal Muscle/Normal; (36) Fibroblasts (Dermal); (37) Skin/normal;(38) Adipose/Normal; (39) Osteoblasts(primary); (40) Osteoblasts(undifferentiated); (41) Osteoblasts (differentiated); (42) Osteoclasts;(43) Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells (SMC) Early; (44) Aortic SMC Late; (45)Osteoclasts (undiff); (46) shear human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC). High relative levels of expression were detected in normalcolon, normal breast, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lung tissue,normal adipose tissue, and undifferentiated osteoblasts.

38692 expression was determined by TAQMAN™ assays on mRNA derived fromvarious tissues and cell lines, including (1) Lung; (2) Kidney; (3)Spleen; (4) Fetal Liver; (5) Granulocytes; (6) NHDF resting; (7)NHDF/TGF-treated for 48 hr; (8) NHLF/CTN-treated for 48 hr; (9)NHLF/TGF-treated for 48 hr; (10) NC Heps; (11) Passage Stellates; (12)Liver Pool; (13) LF/CHT 339; (14) LF/NDR 191; (15) LF/NDR 079; (16)Lymph Nodes NDR 173; (17) Tonsils; (18) TH124 hr; (19) CD4; (20) CD14Resting; (21) CD19; (22) CD3 Resting; (23) bone marrow mononuclear cells(BM MNC) LP26; (24) mPB CD34+; (25) adult bone marrow (ABM) CD34+; (26)Cord Blood CD34+; (27) Erythroid; (28) Megakaryocytes LP16; (29)Neutrophils d14; (30) NBM CD15+/CD14−/34+; (31) mBM CD15+/CD11b−; (32)BM/glycophorin A (GPA); (33) Hepatocyte (Hep)G2-A; (34) HepG2.2.15-A;(35) HBV-Liver MAI-1; (36) HL60; (37) leukemia cell line K562; (38) Molt4; (39) liver cell line Hep3B Nor; (40)Hep3B Hypoxia, as well as varioushematopoietic cell lines, including, (1) Lung; (2) Colon; (3) Heart; (4)Spleen; (5) Kidney; (6) Liver NDR 200; (7) Fetal Liver; (8) SkeletalMuscle; (9) m BM (bone marrow) mononuclear cells (MNC); (10) mBM MNCLP7; (11) mBM CD34+ LP92; (12) mobilized peripheral blood (mPB) CD34+LF41; (13) mPB CD34+ LF48; (14) adult bone marrow (ABM) CD34+ LP91; (15)ABM CD34+ LP29; (16) Cord Blood CD34+ LF109; (17) Fetal Liver CD34+LP93; (18) Fetal Liver CD34+ LP45; (19) Bone Marrow Glycophorin Apositive (BM GPA+) LP85; (20) BM GPA+ LP34-1; (21) BM GPA low CD71+LF38; (22) BM GPA low CD71+ LP85-2; (23) mobilized peripheral blood(mPB) CD41+/CD14− LP94; (24) BM CD41+/C D14− LP78; (25) mBM CD15+ LP15;(26) mBM CD15+/CD11b− LP7-4; (27) mBM CD15+/CD11b+ LP15-2; (28) BMCD15+/CD11b− LF80-4; (29) BM CD15+/CD11b− LP23-2; (30) BM CD15+/CD34−LP27-2; (31) BM CD15+/CD34− LP41-1; (32) Erythrocyte (Ery) d6 LP25-1;(33) Ery d6 LP3′-1; (34) Ery d10 LP24-4; (35) Ery d12 LF24-8; (36) Eryd12 LF24-9; (37) Ery d14 GPA+ LP31-4; (38) Ery d14 CD36+ LP31-7; (39)Megakaryocyte (Meg) 24 hr LF23-2; (40) Meg 44 hr LF6-2; (41) Meg d7LP31-2; (42) Meg d12 LF26; (43) Meg d14 LP31-5; (44) Neutrophil d4 LF30;(45) Neutrophil d6 LF26; (46) Neutrophil d6 LP27; (47) Neutrophil d7LP31-3; (48) Neutrophil d12 LP27; (49) Neutrophil d12 LP26B; (50)Neutroph d14 LP31-6. In some samples, mRNA expression was detected atthe indicated times in culture (e.g., 24 hrs., 48 hrs., days inculture).

High relative levels of 38692 expression were found in hepatic tissues(e.g., fetal liver cells, HepG2.2.15-A liver cells, fetal liver CD34+cells), and in hematopoietic cells such as K562 cells, Bone MarrowGlycophorin A (BM GPA) low CD71+ LF38; and BM GPA low CD71+ LP85-2.

Human 46508

The human 46508 sequence (SEQ ID NO:35), which is approximately 1182nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 684 nucleotides, includingthe termination codon. The coding sequence encodes a 227 amino acidprotein (SEQ ID NO:36).

Human 46508 contains the following regions or other structural features:a peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain (PFAM Accession PF01195) located atabout amino acid residues 44 to 221 of SEQ ID NO:36; two Protein KinaseC sites (PS00005) at about amino acids 13 to 15, and 150 to 152 of SEQID NO:36; two Casein Kinase II sites (PS00006) located at about aminoacids 125 to 128, and 194 to 197 of SEQ ID NO:36; seven N-myristoylationsites (PS00008) located at about amino acids 4 to 9, 17 to 22, 23 to 28,53 to 58, 74 to 79, 149 to 154, and 156 to 161 of SEQ ID NO:36; oneamidation site (PS00009) located at about amino acid 40 to 43 of SEQ IDNO:36; and one glycosaminoglycan attachment site (PS00002) located atabout amino acids 3 to 6 of SEQ ID NO:36.

For general information regarding PFAM identifiers, PS prefix and PFprefix domain identification numbers, refer to Sonnhammer et al. (1997)Protein 28:405-420.

The 46508 protein contains a significant number of structuralcharacteristics in common with members of the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolasefamily.

Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolases are a family of important enzymes whichhydrolyze ester linkages between the peptide moiety and the tRNA ofpeptidyl-tRNAs (Kössel, H (1969) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 204:191-202;Garcia-Villegas, M. R. (1991) EMBO J. 10:3549-3555). The esteraseactivity of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolases cleaves the covalent bond betweenthe nascent peptide and the tRNA. Such cleavage results in the recyclingof tRNA. The peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase from E. coli is well characterized,and homologous proteins are found in many eubacterial species. In E.coli, the gene encoding peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase is essential. Further,the required level of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase activity for viability isescalated under conditions that increase premature translationaltermination such as exposure to antibiotics (Menninger and Coleman(1993) Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 37:2027-2029.) and reduced whentRNAs particularly prone to dissociate from the ribosome are supplied inexcess (Heurgue-Hamard et al. (1996) EMBO J. 15:2826-2833).

The x-ray crystal structure of E. coli peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase wasdetermined at high resolution (Schmitt et al. (1997) EMBO J.16:4760-4769). The monomeric protein contains single monomeric α/βglobular domain of seven α-strands and six α-helices. The peptidyl-tRNAhydrolase enzyme structure has structural similarity to anaminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica (GenPept:640150) (Chevrier,B. et al. (1994) Structure 2:283-291) and to a lesser extent to bovinepurine nucleoside phosphorylase (GenPept:2624420) (Koellner, G. et al.(1997) J. Mol. Biol. 265:202-216.). Genetic data and structural analysisindicate that three residues, asparagine 10, histidine 20, and asparticacid 93 in the E. coli enzyme are critical residues for catalysis. Inaddition, asparagine 68 and asparagine 114 of the E. coli enzyme arepoised to make favorable electrostatic contacts with the peptide regionof the peptidyl-tRNA substrate whereas arginine 133 of the E. colisequence may contact the tRNA portion of the substrate. The amino acididentities of these positions are conserved in alignments of eubacterialpeptidyl-tRNA transferases.

The 46508 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO:36) has the three conserved residuesimportant for catalysis, namely: an asparagine at position 51, ahistidine at position 59, and an aspartic acid at position 134 of SEQ IDNO:36. In addition, conserved asparagines and a conserved arginine,residues 68, 114, and 133 of the E. coli peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase,respectively, contribute to the specificity of substrate recognition.The 46508 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO:36) also has these three conservedresidues, namely, an asparagine at position 109, an asparagine atposition 155, and an arginine at position 173 of SEQ ID NO:36.

Cells which utilize the translation machinery more intensely thanquiescent cells, e.g. rapidly growing cells, environmentally stressedcells, and virally infected cells, are likely to produce morepeptidyl-tRNA substrates. Further, because of the increased translationactivity, such cells also require larger tRNA pools than quiescent cellseither in their cytoplasm or mitochondria, or both. Accordingly theactivity of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase enzymes may be required by suchcells. Thus, inhibition of 46508 activity might be a successful route totreatment of a variety of disorders, including but not limited to, cellproliferation, cell differentiation, viral infection, and metabolism.

A 46508 polypeptide can include a “peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain” orregions homologous with a “peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain”. A 46508polypeptide can optionally further include at least oneglycosaminoglycan attachment site; at least one, preferably two, proteinkinase C phosphorylation sites; at least one, preferable two, caseinkinase II phosphorylation sites; at least one, two, three, four, five,six, preferably seven, N-myristoylation sites; and at least oneamidation site.

As used herein, the term “peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain” includes anamino acid sequence of about 160 to 240 amino acid residues in lengthand having a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to thepeptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain profile (Pfam HMM) of at least 80.Preferably, the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain has an amino acidsequence of about 170 to about 200 amino acids, more preferable about170 to 190 amino acids, or about 177 amino acids, and has a bit scorefor the alignment of the sequence to the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain(HMM) of at least 100, preferably of at least 120, more preferably of atleast 130 or greater. Preferably, the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domainfurther includes the following highly conserved residues: one,preferably two, more preferably three asparagine residues, a histidineresidue, an aspartic acid, and an arginine corresponding respectively toasparagine 51, asparagine 109, asparagine 155, histidine 59, asparticacid 134, and arginine 173 of SEQ ID NO:36. The peptidyl-tRNA hydrolasedomain (HMM) has been assigned the PFAM Accession.

In a preferred embodiment 46508 polypeptide or protein has a“peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain” or a region which includes at leastabout 120 to about 200 amino acids, more preferably about 160 to 190,170 to 180, or about 177 amino acid residues and has at least about 60%,70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a “peptidyl-tRNA hydrolasedomain,” e.g., the peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain of human 46508 (e.g.,residues 44 to 221 of SEQ ID NO:36).

To identify the presence of a “peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase” domain in a46508 protein sequence, and make the determination that a polypeptide orprotein of interest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence ofthe protein can be searched against the Pfam database of HMMs (e.g., thePfam database, release 2.1) using the default parameters. For example,the hmmsf program, which is available as part of the HMMER package ofsearch programs, is a family specific default program for MILPAT0063 anda score of 15 is the default threshold score for determining a hit.Alternatively, the threshold score for determining a hit can be lowered(e.g., to 8 bits). A description of the Pfam database can be found inSonhammer et al. (1997) Proteins 28(3):405-420 and a detaileddescription of HMMs can be found, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990)Meth. Enzymol. 183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531;and Stultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference. A search was performed against theHMM database resulting in the identification of a “peptidyl-tRNAhydrolase” domain in the amino acid sequence of human 46508 at aboutresidues 44 to about 221 of SEQ ID NO:36. The identified peptidyl-tRNAhydrolase domain consensus sequence is set forth as SEQ ID NO:38.

A 46508 family member can include at least one peptidyl-tRNA hydrolasedomain or regions homologous with a peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase domain.Furthermore, a 46508 family member can include at least one, preferablytwo, protein kinase C phosphorylation sites (PS00005); at least one,preferable two, casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006); atleast one, two, three, four, five, six, preferably seven,N-myristoylation sites; and at least one amidation site.

46508 polypeptides of the invention include fragments which include: allor part of a hydrophobic sequence, e.g., the sequence from about aminoacid 60 to 70, from about 86 to 102, and from about 189 to 195 of SEQ IDNO:36; all or part of a hydrophilic sequence, e.g., the sequence of fromabout amino acid 77 to 85, from about 217 to 224 of SEQ ID NO:36, asequence which includes a Cys, or a glycosylation site, of SEQ ID NO:36.

As the 46508 polypeptides of the invention may modulate 46508-mediatedactivities, they may be useful as of for developing novel diagnostic andtherapeutic agents for 46508-mediated or related disorders, as describedbelow.

As used herein, a “46508 activity”, “biological activity of 46508” or“functional activity of 46508”, refers to an activity exerted by a 46508protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule. For example, a 46508activity can be an activity exerted by 46508 in a physiological milieuon, e.g., a 46508-responsive cell or on a 46508 substrate, e.g., aprotein substrate. A 46508 activity can be determined in vivo or invitro. In one embodiment, a 46508 activity is a direct activity, such asan association with a 46508 target molecule. A “target molecule” or“binding partner” is a molecule with which a 46508 protein binds orinteracts in nature. In an other embodiment, 46508 activity can also bean indirect activity, e.g. a cellular signaling activity mediated byinteraction of the 46508 protein with a second protein or with a nucleicacid.

The features of the 46508 molecules of the present invention can providesimilar biological activities as peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase family members.For example, the 46508 proteins of the present invention can have one ormore of the following activities: (1) ability to bind tRNA; (2) abilityto bind peptide fragments; (3) ability to bind peptidyl-tRNAs; (4)ability to hydrolyze covalent bond between peptide and tRNA withinpeptidyl-tRNAs; or (5) ability to modulate translational efficiency. The46508 polypeptide may perform one or more of these properties in themilieu of the cell cytoplasm and/or of the cell mitochondria.

As shown below, increased 46508 mRNA expression is detected in a varietyof malignant and non-malignant tissues, including cardiovascular tissues(e.g., endothelial cells, coronary smooth muscle cells), pancreas,neural tissues (e.g., brain, hypothalamus, DRG), skin, immune, e.g.,erythroid cells, as well as a number of primary and metastatic tumors,e.g., ovarian, breast, prostate and lung tumors. Thus, the 46508molecules can act as novel diagnostic targets and therapeutic agents forcontrolling disorders of involving aberrant activity of those cells,e.g., cell proliferative disorders (e.g., cancer), cardiovasculardisorders, neurological disorders, pain disorders, pancreatic disorders,breast disorders, colon disorders, ovarian disorders, lung disorders,skin and immune, e.g., erythroid, disorders.

High transcriptional expression of 46508 was observed in tumor samplescompared to normal organ control samples. For example, high expressionwas observed in 5/5 primary ovarian tumor samples, 4/4 primary colontumor samples, 2/2 colon to liver metastases, and 3/6 primary lung tumorsamples. Additionally, high expression was observed in proliferatingHMVEC cells when compared to arrested HMVEC cells. Therefore, 46508 maymediate or be involved in cellular proliferative and/or differentiativedisorders.

Moderate expression of 46508 was observed in normal heart tissuesamples, and in both normal and tumor breast tissue samples, and thus46508 may mediate disorders involving the heart, e.g. cardiovasculardisorders; and it may mediate disorders of the breast, e.g. breastdisorders. High to moderate expression of 46508 was also observed innormal pancreas tissue, in the skin and in the normal brain cortex andhypothalamus, therefore, 46508 may mediate disorders involving thepancreas, e.g. pancreatic disorders; it may mediate disorders involvingthe skin, e.g., skin disorders; and it may mediate disorders involvingthe brain cortex or hypothalamus, e.g. disorders of the brain.

46508 mRNA expression was also detected in the dorsal root ganglia(DRG). Therefore, 46508-associated disorders can detrimentally affectregulation and modulation of the pain response; and vasoconstriction,inflammatory response and pain therefrom. Examples of such disorders inwhich the 46508 molecules of the invention may be directly or indirectlyinvolved include pain, pain syndromes, and inflammatory disorders,including inflammatory pain.

Normal and tumorous samples of ovarian tissue also showed expression of46508 mRNA. Various data indicates that 46508 is highly expressed inseveral ovarian cell lines, including SKOV3/Var, A2780, MDA 2774 andES-2. Thus 46508 may mediate diseases involving the ovary.

Moderate expression of 46508 mRNA was also noted in normal colon tissue,in normal and tumor prostate samples, in fibrotic liver tissue samples,in both normal and lung tumor samples and high expression was noted incolon tumor samples. Thus 46508 may mediate diseases involving thecolon, e.g. colon disorders; it may mediate diseases involving theprostate, e.g. prostate disorders; it may mediate diseases involving theliver, e.g. liver disorders; and it may mediate diseases involving thelung, e.g. lung disorders;

Identification and Characterization of Human 46508 cDNA

The human 46508 sequence (SEQ ID NO:35), which is approximately 1180nucleotides long, including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 684 nucleotides, includingthe termination codon (nucleotides indicated as “coding” of SEQ IDNO:35; SEQ ID NO:37). The coding sequence encodes a 227 amino acidprotein (SEQ ID NO:36).

Tissue Distribution of 46508 mRNA by TAQMAN™ Analysis

Endogenous human 46508 gene expression was determined using thePerkin-Elmer/ABI 7700 Sequence Detection System which employs TAQMAN™technology.

To determine the level of 46508 in various human tissues a primer/probeset was designed. Total RNA was prepared from a series of human tissuesusing an RNEASY™ kit from Qiagen. First strand cDNA was prepared from 1μg total RNA using an oligo-dT primer and SUPERSCRIPT II™ reversetranscriptase (Gibco/BRL). cDNA obtained from approximately 50 ng totalRNA was used per TAQMAN™ reaction. Tissues tested include the humantissues and several cell lines shown in Tables 4, 5 and 6.

Table 4 below shows expression of 46508 mRNA in various normal anddiseased tissues, detected using TAQMAN™ analysis. The highesttranscriptional expression of 46508 was noted in HUVEC cell line, withmoderate to high expression found in normal pancreas, brain,hypothalamus, skeletal muscle, DRG (dorsal root ganglion) and skin.Moderate expression also noted in normal and tumor pairs of breast,ovarian, prostate, colon and lung tissue along with fibrotic liver,normal heart and diseased heart (CHF, congestive heart failure) samples.

TABLE 4 Tissue Distribution of 46508 mRNA by TAQMAN ™ Analysis TissueType Expression Artery normal 8.6685 Aorta diseased 5.2992 Vein normal1.7725 Coronary SMC 17.1577 HUVEC 49.0365 Hemangioma 5.0834 Heart normal8.2009 Heart CHF 7.1393 Kidney 9.4204 Skeletal Muscle 16.6308 Adiposenormal 3.9608 Pancreas 20.3335 primary osteoblasts 2.7431 Osteoclasts(diff) 0.8955 Skin normal 13.0031 Spinal cord normal 5.1365 Brain Cortexnormal 24.2647 Brain Hypothalamus normal 25.2951 Nerve 7.8942 DRG(Dorsal Root Ganglion) 16.5159 Breast normal 6.5016 Breast tumor 11.4382Ovary normal 10.0965 Ovary Tumor 6.7542 Prostate Normal 10.273 ProstateTumor 11.0485 Salivary glands 2.1822 Colon normal 3.5327 Colon Tumor14.9885 Lung normal 4.9273 Lung tumor 7.3655 Lung COPD 5.0658 Colon IBD3.14 Liver normal 9.3229 Liver fibrosis 8.6385 Spleen normal 2.4129Tonsil normal 2.83 Lymph node normal 5.3176 Small intestine normal2.0573 Macrophages 1.3526 Synovium 2.3388 BM-MNC 0.2563 Activated PBMC1.5538 Neutrophils 1.5755 Megakaryocytes 1.57 Erythroid 15.3566 positivecontrol 21.1969

Table 5 below also shows expression of 46508 mRNA in various normal anddiseased tissues, detected using TAQMAN™ analysis. Table 5 shows thehigh transcriptional expression of 46508 in tumor samples compared tonormal organ matched controls. High transcriptional expression was notedin 5/5 primary ovarian tumors, 4/4 primary colon tumors, 2/2 colon toliver metastases, 3/6 primary lung tumors and proliferating HMVEC cellswhen compared to arrested HMVEC cells.

TABLE 5 Expression of 46508 mRNA in Normal and Cancerous Tissues TissueType Expression PIT 400 Breast Normal 28.36 PIT 372 Breast Normal 36.40CHT 1228 Breast Normal 8.88 MDA 304 Breast Tumor: MD-IDC 8.34 CHT 2002Breast Tumor: IDC 3.55 MDA 236-Breast Tumor: PD-IDC 3.21 CHT 562 BreastTumor: IDC 13.51 NDR 138 Breast Tumor ILC (LG) 25.30 CHT 1841 Lymph node(Breast met) 7.19 PIT 58 Lung (Breast met) 12.22 CHT 620 Ovary Normal14.83 CHT 619 Ovary Normal 7.09 CLN 012 Ovary Tumor 40.53 CLN 07 OvaryTumor 28.26 CLN 17 Ovary Tumor 94.40 MDA 25 Ovary Tumor 80.21 CLN 08Ovary Tumor 28.07 PIT 298 Lung Normal 2.14 MDA 185 Lung Normal 6.05 CLN930 Lung Normal 12.13 MPI 215 Lung Tumor--SmC 9.69 MDA 259 LungTumor-PDNSCCL 13.94 CHT 832 Lung Tumor-PDNSCCL 8.64 MDA 262 LungTumor-SCC 68.87 CHT 793 Lung Tumor-ACA 20.83 CHT 331 Lung Tumor-ACA 8.14CHT 405 Colon Normal 2.50 CHT 1685 Colon Normal 2.10 CHT 371 ColonNormal 0.95 CHT 382 Colon Tumor: MD 69.11 CHT 528 Colon Tumor: MD 54.79CLN 609 Colon Tumor 15.25 NDR 210 Colon Tumor: MD-PD 121.16 CHT 340Colon-Liver Met 15.25 CHT 1637Colon-Liver Met 10.82 PIT 260 Liver N(female) 1.46 CHT 1653 Cervix Squamous CC 19.51 CHT 569 Cervix SquamousCC 1.31 A24 HMVEC-Arrested 11.56 C48 HMVEC-Proliferating 31.80 PooledHemangiomas 1.16 HCT116N22 Normoxic 76.42 HCT116H22 Hypoxic 68.39

Table 6 indicates that 46508 mRNA is highly expressed in several ovariancell lines including SKOV3/Var, A2780, MDA2774 and ES-2. The tableallows comparisons between two normal ovarian surface epithelium samples(MDA 127 Normal Ovary and MDA 224 Normal Ovary) and two ovarian ascites(MDA 124 Ovarian Ascites and MDA 126 Ovarian Ascites) samples.Expression of 46508 mRNA is upregulated in one of the ascites samples.The table also shows an experiment where the ovarian cancer cell line,HEY, was serum starved for 24 hours. Time points were taken at 0, 1, 3,6, 9 and 12 hours after the addition of 10% serum (HEY 0 hr, HEY 1 hr,HEY 3 hr, HEY 6 hr, HEY 9 hr, and HEY 12 hr, respectively). Since cMycprotein is highly upregulated at 1 hour after addition of serum andphosphorylated at 6 hours, the experiment is a good model foridentifying targets that are downstream of cMyc. These data indicatethat 46508 mRNA may be regulated in a manner similar to cMyc since theexpression increases from 1 to 9 hours after the addition of serum.

Also shown are data involving the ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 andSKOV3/Variant. These cell lines were grown in three different cellularenvironments: on plastic, in soft agar, and as a subcutaneous tumor innude mice (all cells grown in 10% serum). The plastic sample was used asthe “control” in each experiment. The SKOV31Var cell line is a variantof the parental cell line SKOV3 which is resistant to cisplatin. Thesedata indicate that 46508 mRNA is upregulated in environments that may bemore similar to the tumor in vivo (the soft agar and subcutaneous tumor)compared to growth on plastic.

TABLE 6 Expression in Various Ovarian Cells Tissue Type ExpressionSKOV-3 No GF 40.67 SKOV-3 EGF ′15 41.52 SKOV-3 EGF ′30 46.23 SKOV-3 EGF′60 38.88 SKOV-3 Hrg ′15 36.02 SKOV-3 Hrg ′30 41.67 SKOV-3 Hrg ′60 48.87SKOV-3 Serum ′30 54.98 SKOV-3var No GF 151.25 SKOV-3var EGF ′15 140.63SKOV-3var EGF ′30 126.74 SKOV-3var EGF ′60 125.43 SKOV-3var Hrg ′15141.61 SKOV-3var Hrg ′30 170.76 SKOV-3var Hrg ′60 140.15 SKOV-3var Serum′30 190.78 HEY Plastic 50.94 HEY Soft Agar 22.96 SKOV-3 35.65 SKOV-3var122.00 A2780 159.87 A2780-ADR 60.79 OVCAR-3 54.98 OVCAR-4 59.75 MDA2774123.28 DOV13 36.52 Caov-3 18.14 ES-2 101.18 HEY 0 hr 55.17 HEY 1 hr62.50 HEY 3 hr 74.84 HEY 6 hr 69.59 HEY 9 hr 77.75 HEY 12 hr 68.63SKOV-3 SubQ Tumor 18.01 SKOV-3 Variant Plastic 152.30 SKOV-3 Var SubQTumor 9.39 MDA 127 Normal Ovary 11.44 MDA 224 Normal Ovary 17.10 MDA 124Ovarian Ascites 18.84 MDA 126 Ovarian Ascites 41.67 HEY 63.81 SKOV-3Plastic 72.80

Human 16816

The human 16816 sequence (SEQ ID NO:39), which is approximately 2629nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 2289 nucleotides(nucleotides 257-2545 of SEQ ID NO:39; SEQ ID NO:41), including theterminal codon. The coding sequence encodes a 762 amino acid protein(SEQ ID NO:40).

This mature protein form is approximately 762 amino acid residues inlength (from about amino acid 1 to amino acid 762 of SEQ ID NO:40).Human 16816 contains the following regions or other structural features:one predicted phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain X(PFAM Accession Number PF00388) located at about amino acid residues291-436 of SEQ ID NO:40; one predicted phosphatidylinositol-specificphospholipase C domain Y (PFAM Accession Number PF00387) located atabout amino acid residues 492-609 of SEQ ID NO:40; two predicted EF handdomains (PFAM Accession Number PF00036) located at about amino acidresidues 138-166 and 174-202 of SEQ ID NO:40; one predicted C2 domain(PFAM Accession Number PF00168) located at about amino acid residues291-436 and 492-609 of SEQ ID NO:40; two cAMP- and cGMP-dependentprotein kinase phosphorylation sites (PS00004) located at about aminoacids 435-438 and 482-485 of SEQ ID NO:40; nine predicted protein kinaseC phosphorylation sites (PS00005) located at about amino acids 31-33,56-58, 68-70, 203-205, 257-259, 355-357, 504-506, 666-668 and 741-743 ofSEQ ID NO:40; seventeen predicted casein kinase II phosphorylation sites(PS00006) located at about amino 11-14, 62-65, 80-83, 100-103, 108-111,127-130, 155-158, 223-226, 318-321, 410-413, 422-425, 438-441, 463-466,467-470, 522-525, 649-652 and 710-713 of SEQ ID NO:40; four predictedN-myristoylation sites (PS00008) located at about amino acids 188-193,219-224, 414-419 and 684-689 of SEQ ID NO:40; two predicted amidationsites (PS00009) located at about amino acids 96-99 and 433-436 of SEQ IDNO:40; one RGD cell attachment sequence (PS00016) located at about aminoacids 145-147 of SEQ ID NO:40; and/or two EF hand calcium-bindingdomains (PS00018) located at about amino acids 147-159 and 183-195 ofSEQ ID NO:40.

In one embodiment, a 16816 family member can include at least onephosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain X (PFAM AccessionNumber PF00388); at least one phosphatidylinositol-specificphospholipase C domain Y (PFAM Accession Number PF00387); at least onepreferably two EF hand domains (PFAM Accession Number PF00036 orPS00018); at least one predicted C2 domain (PFAM Accession NumberPF00168). Furthermore, a 16816 family member can include at least oneand preferably two cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasephosphorylation sites; at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,eight, and preferably nine protein kinase C phosphorylation sites(PS00005); at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen andpreferably seventeen casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006);at least one, two, three, and preferably four N-myristolyation sites(PS00008); at least one and preferably two predicted amidation sites; orat least one RGD cell attachment sequence.

16816 polypeptides of the invention include fragments which include: allor part of a hydrophobic sequence, e.g., the sequence from about aminoacid 485 to 500, from about 650 to 660, and from about 685 to 700 of SEQID NO:40; all or part of a hydrophilic sequence, e.g., the sequence fromabout amino acid 125 to 150, from about 465 to 480, and from about 665to 680 of SEQ ID NO:40; a sequence which includes a Cys, or aglycosylation site.

Human 16839

The human 16839 sequence (SEQ ID NO:42), which is approximately 2171nucleotides long including untranslated regions, contains a predictedmethionine-initiated coding sequence of about 1827 nucleotides(nucleotides 232-2058 of SEQ ID NO:42; SEQ ID NO:44), including theterminal codon. The coding sequence encodes a 608 amino acid protein(SEQ ID NO:43).

This mature protein form is approximately 608 amino acid residues inlength (from about amino acid 1 to amino acid 608 of SEQ ID NO:43).Human 16839 contains the following regions or other structural features:one EF hand domain (PFAM Accession Number PF00036) located at aboutamino acids 39 to 67 of SEQ ID NO:43; one phosphatidylinositol-specificphospholipase C domain X (PFAM Accession Number PF00388) located atabout amino acids 156 to 300 of SEQ ID NO:43; onephosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain Y (PFAM AccessionNumber PF00387) located at about amino acids 348 to 465 of SEQ ID NO:43;one C2 domain (PFAM Accession Number PF00168) located at about aminoacids 484 to 572 of SEQ ID NO:43; two N-glycosylation sites (PS00001)located at about amino acids 376-379 and 537-540 of SEQ ID NO:43; threecAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites (PS00004)located at about amino acids 310-313, 337-340 and 385-388 of SEQ IDNO:43; ten predicted protein kinase C phosphorylation sites (PS00005)located at about amino acids 24-26, 68-70, 220-222, 303-305, 313-315,340-342, 399-401, 485-487, 501-503 and 533-535 of SEQ ID NO:43; eightpredicted casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006) located atabout amino 56-59, 68-71, 79-82, 267-270, 303-306, 356-359, 378-381 and411-414 of SEQ ID NO:43; and three predicted N-myristoylation sites(PS00008) located at about amino acids 16-21, 479-484 and 560-565 of SEQID NO:43.

In one embodiment, a 16839 family member can include at least one EFhand domain (PFAM Accession Number PF00036); at least onephosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain X (PFAM AccessionNumber PF00388); at least one phosphatidylinositol-specificphospholipase C domain Y (PFAM Accession Number PF00387); at least oneC2 domain (PFAM Accession Number PF00168). Furthermore, a 16839 familymember can include at least one N-glycosylation site (PS00001); at leastone, two and preferably three cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasephosphorylation sites; at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,eight, nine and preferably ten protein kinase C phosphorylation sites(PS00005); at least one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, andpreferably eight casein kinase II phosphorylation sites (PS00006); atleast one, two, and preferably three N-myristolyation sites (PS00008).

16839 polypeptides of the invention include fragments which include: allor part of a hydrophobic sequence, e.g., the sequence from about aminoacid 340 to 350, from about 480 to 490, and from about 540 to 560 of SEQID NO:43; all or part of a hydrophilic sequence, e.g., the sequence fromabout amino acid 300 to 325, from about 360 to 390, and from about 405to 420 of SEQ ID NO:43; a sequence which includes a Cys, or aglycosylation site.

16816 and 16839 Phospholipase C Proteins

The 16816 and 16839 protein contain a significant number of structuralcharacteristics in common with members of the phospholipase C family.

Phospholipase C (PLC) belongs to a family of enzymes, also known asdisulfide isomerases, which play an important role in mediating signaltransduction pathways. Many extracellular signaling molecules includinghormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, and immunoglobulins bind totheir respective cell surface receptors and activate PLCs. ActivatedPLCs then catalyze the hydrolysis ofphosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), a component of the plasmamembrane, to produce diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate(IP3).

In their respective biochemical pathways, IP3 and diacylglycerol serveas second messengers and trigger a series of intracellular responses.IP3 induces the release of calcium from internal cellular storage, anddiacylglycerol activates protein kinase C (PKC). Both pathways are partof transmembrane signal transduction mechanisms, which regulate numerouscellular processes, including secretion, neural activity, metabolism,and proliferation.

PLC molecules have been found in a broad spectrum of organisms includingbacteria, simple eukaryotes, plants and animals (Munnik et al., Biochim.Biophys. Acta. 1389:222-272, (1998)). Several distinct isoforms of PLChave been identified in animals and are categorized as PLC-beta,PLC-gamma, and PLC-delta. Subtypes are designated by adding Arabicnumbers after the Greek letters, e.g., PLC-beta-1. PLCs have a molecularmass of 62-68 kDa, and their amino acid sequences show two regions ofsignificant similarity.

The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery ofnovel molecules, referred to herein as “phospholipase C” or “16816” or“16839” nucleic acid and polypeptide molecules, which play a role in orfunction in modulating signal transduction pathways.

PLC molecules have been found in a broad spectrum of organisms includingbacteria, simple eukaryotes, plants and animals. Members of a family canalso have common functional characteristics. Members of the PLC familyshare one or more common domains such as a pleckstrin homology domain,an EF hand domain, a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase domainX (PLC-X) domain, a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase domain Y(PLC-Y) domain or a C2 domain. Members of this family can also havecommon functional characteristics, e.g., the ability to hydrolyzephosphatidylinositols.

A 16816 polypeptide can include a “pleckstrin homology (PH) domain” orregions homologous with a “PH domain”. As used herein, the term “PHdomain” refers to a protein domain having an amino acid sequence ofabout 10 to 200, preferably about 50 to 150, more preferably about 108amino acid residues. By “PH domain” is meant a domain that can functionas a recognition site for a phosphatidylinositol, e.g., a 3, 4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) or another kinase ligand product, and canfunction as a means to localize PLC to the cytoplasmic face of theplasma membrane.

As used herein, the term “PH domain” includes an amino acid sequence ofabout 108 amino acid residues in length and having a bit score for thealignment of the sequence to the PH domain (HMM) of at least 10.Preferably, a PH domain includes at least about 10-200 amino acids, morepreferably about 50-150 amino acid residues, or about 75-110 amino acidsand has a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to the PH domain(HMM) of at least 20, 30, or greater.

In a preferred embodiment a 16816 polypeptide or protein has a “PHdomain” or a region which includes at least about 10-200 amino acids,more preferably about 50-150 amino acid residues, or about 107 aminoacid residues and has at least about 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100%homology with a “PH domain,” e.g., the PH domain of human 16816 (e.g.,residues 17-124 of SEQ ID NO:40). The identified PH domain consensussequence is set forth as SEQ ID NO:45.

A 16816 or 16839 polypeptide can also include an “EF hand domain” orregions homologous with an “EF hand domain”. As used herein, the term“EF hand domain” refers to a protein domain having an amino acidsequence of about 5 to 50, preferably about 5 to 40, more preferablyabout 28-29 amino acid residues. By “EF hand domain” is meant a type ofcalcium-binding domain that consists of a twelve residue loop flanked onboth sides by a twelve residue alpha-helical domain. In an EF-hand loopthe calcium ion is coordinated in a pentagonal bipyramidalconfiguration. The six residues involved in the binding are in positions1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12; these residues are denoted by X, Y, Z, —Y, —X and-Z. The invariant Glu or Asp at position 12 provides two oxygens forliganding Ca (bidentate ligand). Preferably, the EF hand domain includesthe following amino acid consensus sequence having Prosite signatures asPS00018, or sequences homologous thereto.D-x-[DNS]-{ILVFYW}-[DENSTG]-[DNQGHRK]-{GP}-[LIVMC]-[DENQSTAGC]-x(2)-[DE]-[LIVMFYW](SEQ ID NO:62). In the above conserved motif, and other motifs describedherein, the standard IUPAC one-letter code for the amino acids is used.Each element in the pattern is separated by a dash (-); square brackets([ ]) indicate the particular residues that are accepted at thatposition; x indicates that any residue is accepted at that position; andnumbers in parentheses (( )) indicate the number of residues representedby the accompanying amino acid. The EF hand domains are located inmostly hydrophilic regions of the molecule of human 16816 or 16839polypeptide and which corresponds to about amino acids 138-166 and172-202 of SEQ ID NO:40; or amino acids 39-67 of SEQ ID NO:43. The EFhand domain (HMM) has been assigned the PFAM Accession Number PF00036.

The “EF hand domain” includes an amino acid sequence of about 28 aminoacid residues in length and can have a bit score for the alignment ofthe sequence to the EF hand (HMM) of at least 5. Preferably, an EF handdomain includes at least about 5-50 amino acids, or at least about 5-40,or about 28 amino acids and has a bit score for the alignment of thesequence to the EF hand (HMM) of at least 5, 10, 15, 20, or greater.

In a preferred embodiment, the 16816 or 16839 polypeptide or protein hasan “EF hand domain” or a region which includes at least about 5-50, morepreferably about 5-40 or 28-29 amino acid residues and has at leastabout 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with an “EF handdomain,” e.g., the EF hand domain of human 16816 or 16839 (e.g.,residues 138-166 and 172-202 of SEQ ID NO:40; or amino acids 39-67 ofSEQ ID NO:43). The identified EF hand domain consensus sequences within16816 are set forth as SEQ ID NO:46 and 47, and the identified EF handdomain consensus sequence within 16839 is set forth as SEQ ID NO:56.

A 16816 or 16839 polypeptide can also include a“phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain X (referred toherein as “PLC-X domain”)” or regions homologous with a “PLC-X domain”.As used herein, the term “PLC-X domain” refers to a protein domainhaving an amino acid sequence of about 8 to 200, preferably about 15 to170, more preferably about 145 amino acid residues. By “PLC-X domain” ismeant a subdomain that composes the catalytic site of the phospholipase,e.g., PLC-X subdomain can fold together with another subdomain, e.g.,phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain Y such that afunctioning catalytic site that hydrolyzes a phosphatidylinositol isformed, e.g., phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, is formed.

The “PLC-X domain” includes an amino acid sequence of about 145 aminoacid residues in length and can have a bit score for the alignment ofthe sequence to the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C domainX (HMM) of at least 50. Preferably, a PLC-X domain includes at leastabout 15-170 amino acids, or at least about 20-150, or about 145 aminoacids and has a bit score for the alignment of the sequence to thephosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C domain X (HMM) of at least60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, or greater.

In a preferred embodiment, the 16816 or 16839 polypeptide or protein hasa “PLC-X” or a region which includes at least about 8-200, morepreferably about 15-170 or 20-150 amino acid residues and has at leastabout 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a “PLC-X domain,”e.g., the PLC-X domain of human 16816 or 16839 (e.g., residues 291-436of SEQ ID NO:40; or residues 156-300 of SEQ ID NO:43). The identifiedPLC-X domain consensus sequence of 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:48and the identified PLC-X domain consensus sequence of 16839 is set forthin SEQ ID NO:57.

A 16816 or 16839 polypeptide can include a“phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C domain Y (referred toherein as PLC-Y domain)” or regions homologous with a “PLC-Y domain”. Asused herein, the term “PLC-Y domain” refers to a protein domain havingan amino acid sequence of about 8 to 200, preferably about 15 to 170,more preferably about 117 amino acid residues. By “PLC-Y domain” ismeant a subdomain that composes the catalytic site of the phospholipase,e.g., the subdomain can fold together with another subdomain, e.g.,PLC-X domain such that a functioning catalytic site that hydrolyzes aphosphatidylinositol, e.g., phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, isformed.

The “PLC-Y domain” includes an amino acid sequence of about 117 aminoacid residues in length and can have a bit score for the alignment ofthe sequence to the PLC-Y domain (HMM) of at least 50. Preferably, aPLC-Y domain includes at least about 15-170 amino acids, or at leastabout 20-150, or about 117 amino acids and has a bit score for thealignment of the sequence to the PLC-Y domain (HMM) of at least 60, 70,80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 140, 160, 180, or greater.

In a preferred embodiment 16816 or 16839 polypeptide or protein has a“PLC-Y domain” or a region which includes at least about 8-200, morepreferably about 15-170 or 20-150 amino acid residues and has at leastabout 60%, 70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a “PLC-Y domain”e.g., PLC-Y domain of human 16816 or 16839 (e.g., residues 492-609 ofSEQ ID NO:40; or residues 348-465 of SEQ ID NO:43). The identified PLC-Ydomain consensus sequence of 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:49 and theidentified PLC-Y domain consensus sequence of 16839 is set forth in SEQID NO:58.

A 16816 or 16839 polypeptide can include a “calcium (Ca2+) bindingdomain (referred to as C2 domain”) or regions homologous with a “C2domain”. As used herein, the term “C2” refers to a protein domain havingan amino acid sequence of about 8 to 200, preferably about 15 to 170,more preferably about 20 to 100, or still more preferably about 90 aminoacid residues. By “C2 domain” is meant a domain that can mediateinteraction with calcium or phospholipids.

The “C2 domain” includes an amino acid sequence of about 90 amino acidresidues in length and can have a bit score for the alignment of thesequence to the C2 domain (HMM) of at least 50. Preferably, a C2includes at least about 8-200, or at least about 15-170, or at least20-100, or about 90 amino acids and has a bit score for the alignment ofthe sequence to the C2 domain (HMM) of at least 60, 70, 80, 85, orgreater.

In a preferred embodiment, a 16816 or 16839 polypeptide or protein has a“C2” or a region which includes at least about 10-200, more preferablyabout 15-170 or 20-100 amino acid residues and has at least about 60%,70% 80% 90% 95%, 99%, or 100% homology with a “C2,” e.g., the C2 domainof human 16816 or 16839 (e.g., residues 629-719 of SEQ ID NO:40; orresidues 484-572 of SEQ ID NO:43). The identified C2 domain consensussequence of 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:50 and the identified C2domain consensus sequence of 16839 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:59.

To identify the presence of a “PH domain,” “EF hand,” “PLC-X domain,”“PLC-Y domain,” or a “C2 domain” in a 16816 or 16839 protein sequence,and make the determination that a polypeptide or protein of interest hasa particular profile, the amino acid sequence of the protein can besearched against a database of HMMs (e.g., the Pfam database, release2.1) using the default parameters. For example, the hmmsf program, whichis available as part of the HMMER package of search programs, is afamily specific default program for MILPAT0063 and a score of 15 is thedefault threshold score for determining a hit. Alternatively, thethreshold score for determining a hit can be lowered (e.g., to 8 bits).A description of the Pfam database can be found in Sonhammer et al.(1997) Proteins 28(3):405-420 and a detailed description of HMMs can befound, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990) Meth. Enzymol.183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531; andStultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

A search was performed against the HMM database resulting in theidentification of a “PH domain” in the amino acid sequence of human16816 at about residues 17-124 of SEQ ID NO:40. The identified PH domainconsensus sequence of 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:45. This searchalso resulted in the identification of “EF domain(s)” in the amino acidsequence of human 16816 or 16839 at about residues 138-166 and 172-202of SEQ ID NO:40 or amino acids 39-67 of SEQ ID NO:43 respectively. Theidentified EF domain consensus sequences of 16816 are set forth in SEQID NO:46 and 47 and the identified EF domain consensus sequence of 16839is set forth in SEQ ID NO:56. This search also resulted in theidentification of a “C2 domain” in the amino acid sequence of human16816 or 16839 at about residues 629-719 of SEQ ID NO:40 and residues484-572 of SEQ ID NO:43, respectively. The identified C2 domainconsensus sequence of 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:50 and theidentified C2 domain consensus sequence of 16839 is set forth in SEQ IDNO:59. This search also resulted in the identification of a “PLC-Ydomain” in the amino acid sequence of human 16816 or 16839 at aboutresidues 492-609 of SEQ ID NO:40 and residues 348-465 of SEQ ID NO:43.The identified PLC-Y domain consensus sequence of 16816 is set forth inSEQ ID NO:49 and the identified PLC-Y domain consensus sequence of 16839is set forth in SEQ ID NO:58. This search additionally resulted in theidentification of a “PLC-X domain” in the amino acid sequence of human16816 or 16839 at about residues 291-436 of SEQ ID NO:40 and residues156-300 of SEQ ID NO:43. The identified PLC-X domain consensus sequenceof 16816 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:48 and the identified PLC-X domainconsensus sequence of 16839 is set forth in SEQ ID NO:57.

To identify the presence of a “phospholipase C” domain in a 16816 or16839 protein sequence, and make the determination that a polypeptide orprotein of interest has a particular profile, the amino acid sequence ofthe protein can be searched against a database of domains, e.g., theProDom database (Corpet et al. (1999), Nucl. Acids Res. 27:263-267). TheProDom protein domain database consists of an automatic compilation ofhomologous domains. Current versions of ProDom are built using recursivePSI-BLAST searches (Altschul S F et al. (1997) Nucleic Acids Res.25:3389-3402; Gouzy et al. (1999) Computers and Chemistry 23:333-340) ofthe SWISS-PROT 38 and TREMBL protein databases. The databaseautomatically generates a consensus sequence for each domain. A BLASTsearch was performed against the HMM database resulting in theidentification of a “phospholipase C” domain in the amino acid sequenceof human 16816 or 16839.

The phospholipase C domain is homologous to ProDom family PD001214(“phospholipase phosphodiesterase hydrolase phosphoinositide-specific1-phosphatidylinositol-45-bisphosphate degradation transducer lipidbeta” SEQ ID NO:51, ProDomain Release 2001.1). An alignment of thephospholipase C domain (amino acids 275 to 436 of SEQ ID NO:40) of human16816 with a consensus amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:51) derived from ahidden Markov model shows that the consensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:51is 54% identical over amino acids 275 to 436 of SEQ ID NO:40.

The phospholipase C domain is also homologous to ProDom family PD186804(“phospholipase C delta calcium-binding PLC-III hydrolasephosphodiesterase lipid PLC-delta-11-phosphatidylinositol-45-bisphosphate” SEQ ID NO:52, ProDomain Release2001.1. An alignment of the phospholipase C domain (amino acids 1 to 191of SEQ ID NO:40) of human 16816 with a consensus amino acid sequence(SEQ ID NO:52) derived from a hidden Markov model shows that theconsensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:52 is 44% identical over amino acids 1to 191 of SEQ ID NO:40.

The phospholipase C domain is also homologous to ProDom family PD001202(“phospholipase phosphodiesterase hydrolase phosphoinositide-specific1-phosphatidylinositol-45-bisphosphate degradation lipid transducerbeta” SEQ ID NOs:53 and 61, ProDomain Release 2001.1. An alignment ofthe phospholipase C domain (amino acids 491 to 608 of SEQ ID NO:40) ofhuman 16816 with a consensus amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:53) derivedfrom a hidden Markov model demonstrates that the consensus sequence forSEQ ID NO:53 is 57% identical over amino acids 491 to 608 of SEQ IDNO:40. An alignment of the phospholipase C domain (amino acids 350 to473 of SEQ ID NO:43) of human 16839 with a consensus amino acid sequence(SEQ ID NO:61) derived from a hidden Markov model demonstrates that theconsensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:61 is 47% identical over amino acids350 to 473 of SEQ ID NO:43.

The phospholipase C domain is also homologous to ProDom family PD033204(“C phospholipase delta-4 delta4 phospholipase” SEQ ID NO:54, ProDomainRelease 2001.1. An alignment of the phospholipase C domain (amino acids722 to 761 of SEQ ID NO:40) of human 16816 with a consensus amino acidsequence (SEQ ID NO:54) derived from a hidden Markov model demonstratesthat the consensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:54 is 70% identical over aminoacids 722 to 761 of SEQ ID NO:40.

The phospholipase C domain is also homologous to ProDom family PD270355(“1-phosphatidylinositol-4 phosphodiesterase-like bisphosphate” SEQ IDNO:55, ProDomain Release 2001.1. An alignment of the phospholipase Cdomain (amino acids 562 to 621 of SEQ ID NO:40) of human 16816 with aconsensus amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:55) derived from a hiddenMarkov model demonstrates that the consensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:55is 46% identical over amino acids 562 to 621 of SEQ ID NO:40.

The phospholipase C domain is also homologous to ProDom family PD001214(“phospholipase phosphodiesterase hydrolase phosphoinositide-specific1-phosphatidylinositol-45-bisphosphate degradation transducer lipidbeta” SEQ ID NO:60, ProDomain Release 2001.1. An alignment of thephospholipase C domain (amino acids 140 to 324 of SEQ ID NO:43) of human16839 with a consensus amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:60) derived from ahidden Markov model shows that the consensus sequence for SEQ ID NO:60is 48% identical over amino acids 140 to 324 of SEQ ID NO:43.

As the 16816 or 16839 polypeptide of the invention may modulate 16816 or16839-mediated activity, they may be useful as of for developing noveldiagnostic and therapeutic agents for 16816 or 16839-mediated or relateddisorders, as described below. As used herein, a “16816 or 16839activity”, “biological activity of 16816 or 16839” or “functionalactivity of 16816 or 16839”, refers to an activity exerted by a 16816 or16839 protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule on e.g., a 16816 or16839-responsive cell or on a 16816 or 16839 substrate, e.g., a proteinsubstrate, as determined in vivo or in vitro. In one embodiment, a 16816or 16839 activity is a direct activity, such as an association with a16816 or 16839 target molecule. A “target molecule” or “binding partner”is a molecule with which a 16816 or 16839 protein binds or interactswith in nature. In an exemplary embodiment, it is a receptor, e.g., atyrosine kinase receptor. In another embodiment, 16816 or 16839 canassociate with a second messenger molecule such as a specialized adaptormolecule; with inositol phosphates and inositol lipids; membraneproteins; or with a guanine nucleotide binding-regulatory protein(G-protein). A 16816 or 16839 activity can also be an indirect activity,e.g., a cellular signaling activity mediated by interaction of the 16816or 16839 protein with a receptor or another signaling molecule. Forexample, the 16816 or 16839 proteins of the present invention can haveone or more of the following activities: (1) transduction oftransmembrane signals; (2) lipid-metabolizing activity, e.g., 16816 or16839 can catalyze the hydrolysis ofphosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) producing diacylglyceroland inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; (3) the regulation of transmission ofsignals from cellular receptors such as hormones such as serotonin,growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblastgrowth factor (FGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotransmittersand immunoglobulins; (4) modulation of cell proliferation; (5)modulation of cell differentiation; (6) modulation of cell migration;(7) modulation of fertilization; and (8) modulation of hypertension.

Based on the above-described sequence similarities, the 16816 or 16839molecules of the present invention are predicted to have similarbiological activities as members of the PLC family. Members of the PLCfamily play a very important role in transmembrane signal transduction.Extracellular signaling molecules including hormones, growth factors,neurotransmitters, and immunoglobulins bind to their respective cellsurface receptors and activate phospholipase-C. PLC molecules have manyfunctions including: glycogenolysis in liver cells, histamine secretionby mast cells, serotonin release by blood platelets, aggregation byblood platelets, insulin release by pancreatic islet cells, epinephrinesecretion by adrenal chromaffin cells, and smooth muscle contraction. Ingeneral, biological systems that are activated by receptor tyrosinekinase cause the activation of phospholipase-C. The role of an activatedPLC is to catalyze the hydrolysis ofphosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), a minor component of theplasma membrane, to produce diacylglycerol and inositol1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Inositol trisphosphate releases calcium fromintracellular stores and increases the influx of calcium from theextracellular fluid. The calcium ions directly regulate target enzymesand indirectly affect other enzymes by functioning as a second messengerand interacting with calcium-binding proteins, such as troponin C andcalmodulin. For example, calcium ions regulate muscle contraction,glycogen breakdown and exocytosis. Diacylglycerol, a product of thehydrolysis by PLCs, acts as a second messenger by activating proteinkinase C. Activated protein kinase C phosphorylates a great number ofintracellular proteins at the serine and threonine residues andmodulates different signaling pathways. For example, the phosphorylationof glycogen synthase by protein kinase C stops the synthesis ofglycogen. Moreover, protein kinase C controls cell division andproliferation. Both pathways are part of transmembrane signaltransduction mechanisms, which regulate cellular processes, whichinclude secretion, neural activity, metabolism, differentiation andproliferation.

Both 16816 and 16839 proteins are homologous to the phospholipase Cmolecule, PLC1. Stimulation of 16816 or 16839 activity is desirable insituations in which 16816 or 16839 is abnormally downregulated and/or inwhich increased 16816 or 16839 activity is likely to have a beneficialeffect. For example, research on chromosome 20q has associated this genelocus with tumor suppressor activity. Deletions and mutations of the 20qchromosome have been associated with myelodysplasia andmyeloproliferative disorders. PLC1 is one of the genes present at thislocus, and has been found to deleted in these cases. (Asimakopoulos etal. (1994) Blood 84(9):3086-94). As such, 16816 and 16839 may play arole in preventing or treating myeloid disorders.

Likewise, inhibition of 16816 or 16839 activity is desirable insituations in which 16816 or 16839 is abnormally upregulated and/or inwhich decreased 16816 or 16839 activity is likely to have a beneficialeffect. It has been shown that PLC1 overexpression is associated withhepatocellular carcinoma. One antibody, k-PLC1, was shown to react withPLC1 (Wiedmann et al. (1987) Hepatology 7(3):543-50). As such,inhibitors such as 16816- or 16839-specific antibodies may be useful toreduce the quantity of PLC1 in such situations, and potentially decreasethe severity and/or occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, the16816 or 16839 molecules can act as novel diagnostic targets andtherapeutic agents for controlling disorders caused by abnormal oraberrant PLC activity. Evidence indicates that a high percentage ofprimary human mammary carcinomas concomitantly show abnormally highlevels of PLC-gamma-1 (Kassis et al., Clin Cancer Res., August;5(8):2251-60, 1999). Likewise, studies on spontaneous hypertensive ratshave suggested that one of the main causes for the hypertension is anabnormal activation of PLC-delta-1 resulting from point mutations in theX and Y regions of the PLC amino acid sequence (Sanada et al.,Hypertension 33(4):1036-42, 1999). Therefore, the 16816 or 16839molecules can act as novel diagnostic targets and therapeutic agents forcontrolling one or more of cellular proliferative and/or differentiativedisorders, disorders associated with bone metabolism, immune disorders,hematopoietic disorders, cardiovascular disorders, liver disorders,viral diseases, pain or metabolic disorders.

As the 16816 or 16839 polypeptides of the invention may modulate 16816or 16839-mediated activities, they may be useful for developing noveldiagnostic and therapeutic agents for 16816 or 16839-mediated or relateddisorders, as described below.

Accordingly, 16816 or 16839 protein may mediate various disorders,including cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disorders, braindisorders, heart disorders, blood vessel disorders, and plateletdisorders.

Identification and Characterization of Human 16816 or 16839 cDNAs

The human 16816 or 16839 sequence (SEQ ID NO:39 or SEQ ID NO:42), whichis approximately 2629 or 2171 nucleotides long, respectively, includinguntranslated regions, contains a predicted methionine-initiated codingsequence of about 2289 or 1827 nucleotides, respectively (nucleotides257-2545 of SEQ ID NO:39; SEQ ID NO:41; or nucleotides 232-2058 of SEQID NO:42; SEQ ID NO:44). The coding sequence encodes a 762 or 608 aminoacid protein (SEQ ID NO:40 or SEQ ID NO:43), respectively.

Gene Expression Analysis

Total RNA was prepared from various human tissues by a single stepextraction method using RNA STAT-60 according to the manufacturer'sinstructions (TelTest, Inc). Each RNA preparation was treated with DNaseI (Ambion) at 37° C. for 1 hour. DNAse I treatment was determined to becomplete if the sample required at least 38 PCR amplification cycles toreach a threshold level of fluorescence using β-2 microglobulin as aninternal amplicon reference. The integrity of the RNA samples followingDNase I treatment was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis andethidium bromide staining. After phenol extraction cDNA was preparedfrom the sample using the SUPERSCRIP™ Choice System following themanufacturer's instructions (GibcoBRL). A negative control of RNAwithout reverse transcriptase was mock reverse transcribed for each RNAsample.

Human 16816 or 16839 expression was measured by TAQMAN™ quantitative PCR(Perkin Elmer Applied Biosystems) in cDNA prepared from a variety ofnormal and diseased (e.g., cancerous) human tissues or cell lines.Probes were designed by PrimerExpress software (PE Biosystems) based onthe sequence of the human 16816 or 16839 gene. Each human 16816 or 16839gene probe was labeled using FAM (6-carboxyfluorescein), and theβ2-microglobulin reference probe was labeled with a differentfluorescent dye, VIC. The differential labeling of the target gene andinternal reference gene thus enabled measurement in same well. Forwardand reverse primers and the probes for both P2-microglobulin and targetgene were added to the TAQMAN™ Universal PCR Master Mix (PE AppliedBiosystems). Although the final concentration of primer and probe couldvary, each was internally consistent within a given experiment. Atypical experiment contained 200 nM of forward and reverse primers plus100 nM probe for β-2 microglobulin and 600 nM forward and reverseprimers plus 200 nM probe for the target gene. TAQMAN™ matrixexperiments were carried out on an ABI PRISM 7700 Sequence DetectionSystem (PE Applied Biosystems). The thermal cycler conditions were asfollows: hold for 2 min at 50° C. and 10 min at 95° C., followed bytwo-step PCR for 40 cycles of 95° C. for 15 sec followed by 60° C. for 1min.

The following method was used to quantitatively calculate human 16816 or16839 gene expression in the various tissues relative to β-2microglobulin expression in the same tissue. The threshold cycle (Ct)value is defined as the cycle at which a statistically significantincrease in fluorescence is detected. A lower Ct value is indicative ofa higher mRNA concentration. The Ct value of the human 16816 or 16839gene is normalized by subtracting the Ct value of the β-2 microglobulingene to obtain a ΔCt value using the following formula:ΔCt=Ct_(human 59914 and 59921)−Ct_(β-2 microglobulin). Expression isthen calibrated against a cDNA sample showing a comparatively low levelof expression of the human 16816 or 16839 gene. The ΔCt value for thecalibrator sample is then subtracted from ΔCt for each tissue sampleaccording to the following formula:ΔΔCt=ΔCt-_(sample)−ΔCt-_(calibrator). Relative expression is thencalculated using the arithmetic formula given by 2-ΔΔCt. Expression ofthe target human 16816 or 16839 gene in each of the tissues tested isthen graphically represented as discussed in more detail below.

TAQMAN™ real-time quantitative RT-PCR is used to detect the presence ofRNA transcript corresponding to human 16816 relative to a no templatecontrol in a panel of human tissues or cells. It is found that thehighest expression of 16816 orthologs are expressed in skeletal muscletissue as shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 mean mean Tissue Type 16816 βeta 2 ∂Ct expression Aorta/normal38.87 23.105 15.765 0 Fetal heart/normal 33.43 20.82 12.61 0.159960132Heart normal 34.62 18.985 15.635 0.019651514 Heart/CHF 35.64 20.47 15.170 Vein/Normal 33.81 19.15 14.66 0.038627826 Spinal cord/Normal 33.17519.43 13.745 0.072835434 Brain cortex/Normal 30.42 21.2 9.22 1.676885618Brain hypothalamus/ 30.415 20.155 10.26 0.815515546 Normal Glial cells(Astrocytes) 33.495 21.58 11.915 0.258956968 Brain/Glioblastoma 29.7718.41 11.36 0.380451455 Breast/Normal 34.145 19.195 14.95 0.031593778Breast tumor/IDC 33.215 18.82 14.395 0.046416588 OVARY/Normal 35.4721.23 14.24 0 OVARY/Tumor 37.815 19.785 18.03 0 Pancreas 35.73 18.12517.605 0 Prostate/Normal 30.895 19.255 11.64 0.313336401 Prostate/Tumor31.695 18.255 13.44 0.089982252 Colon/normal 31.035 17.45 13.5850.081378093 Colon/tumor 36.88 18.84 18.04 0 Colon/IBD 35.185 18.44516.74 0 Kidney/normal 30.255 21.005 9.25 1.642375811 Liver/normal 36.4819.18 17.3 0 Liver fibrosis 35.16 20.015 15.145 0 Fetal Liver/normal37.02 22.14 14.88 0 Lung/normal 33.93 18.02 15.91 0.016241 Lung/tumor34.845 18.955 15.89 0.016467716 Lung/COPD 33.345 18.13 15.2150.026292302 Spleen/normal 39.23 20.19 19.04 0 Tonsil/normal 35.72 17.95517.765 0 Lymph node/normal 34.55 18.485 16.065 0.014586568 Thymus/normal33.475 19.675 13.8 0.070110984 Epithelial Cells (prostate) 31.825 20.5711.255 0.409173406 Endothelial Cells (aortic) 32.815 20.775 12.040.237464587 Skeletal Muscle/Normal 24.19 19.34 4.85 34.674046Fibroblasts (Dermal) 31.89 18.915 12.975 0.124204064 Skin/normal 34.80520.945 13.86 0.067254951 Adipose/Normal 32.94 18.88 14.06 0.058548835Osteoblasts (primary) 32.595 20.175 12.42 0.182476715 Osteoblasts(Undiff) 31.05 19.025 12.025 0.239946435 Osteoblasts(Diff) 30.815 18.31512.5 0.172633492 Osteoclasts 34.17 17.725 16.445 0.011208867 Aortic SMCEarly 34.705 20.23 14.475 0.043912768 Aortic SMC Late 34.18 22.97 11.210.42213732 shear HUVEC 31.315 20.955 10.36 0.76090291 static HUVEC31.465 20.875 10.59 0.64877237

TAQMAN™ real-time quantitative RT-PCR is used to detect the presence ofRNA transcript corresponding to human 16839 relative to a no templatecontrol in a panel of human tissues or cells. It is found that 16839orthologs are expressed in teste as shown in the Table 8 and DRG asshown in Table 9.

TABLE 8 Tissue Type 16839.20 β2.803 ∂Ct Expression Adrenal Gland 40.0019.21 20.80 0.00 Brain 40.00 21.01 18.99 0.00 Heart 40.00 18.97 21.040.00 Kidney 39.90 18.98 20.92 0.00 Liver 40.00 18.61 21.40 0.00 Lung40.00 17.12 22.88 0.00 Mammary Gland 40.00 17.94 22.07 0.00 Pancreas40.00 20.50 19.50 0.00 Placenta 40.00 17.83 22.18 0.00 Prostate 40.0017.20 22.80 0.00 Salivary Gland 40.00 18.48 21.52 0.00 Muscle 40.0020.56 19.45 0.00 Sm. Intestine 40.00 18.82 21.19 0.00 Spleen 40.00 16.6423.36 0.00 Stomach 40.00 18.52 21.48 0.00 Teste 26.97 20.05  6.92 1.69Thymus 40.00 17.66 22.35 0.00 Trachea 40.00 18.93 21.07 0.00 Uterus40.00 18.80 21.20 0.00 Spinal Cord 40.00 18.94 21.07 0.00 DRG 40.0019.50 20.51 0.00 Skin 39.10 18.44 20.66 0.00

TABLE 9 Tissue Type Mean β 2 Mean ∂∂ Ct Expression Artery normal 4019.38 20.62 0 Vein normal 39.38 18.47 20.91 0 Aortic SMC EARLY 38.8819.23 19.64 0 Coronary SMC 39.92 20.55 19.38 0 Static HUVEC 39.06 18.6620.4 0 Heart normal 40 17.21 22.79 0 Heart CHF 39.26 17.18 22.07 0Kidney 34.14 17.21 16.93 0.008 Skeletal Muscle 40 20.26 19.74 0 Adiposenormal 40 18.7 21.31 0 Pancreas 39.41 19.23 20.18 0 primary osteoblasts37.65 17.54 20.11 0 Osteoclasts (diff) 35.13 15.82 19.31 0 Skin normal39.13 19.16 19.98 0 Spinal cord normal 40 18.59 21.41 0 Brain Cortexnormal 38.95 18.59 20.36 0 Brain Hypothalamus normal 40 19.43 20.57 0Nerve 40 22.34 17.66 0 DRG (Dorsal Root Ganglion) 34.58 19.82 14.760.0362 Glial Cells (Astrocytes) 38.84 20.34 18.5 0 Glioblastoma 38.9116.52 22.39 0 Breast normal 39.6 18.93 20.67 0 Breast tumor 39.98 17.1122.88 0 Ovary normal 38.79 18.03 20.76 0 Ovary Tumor 40 18.23 21.77 0Prostate Normal 38.15 18.3 19.85 0 Prostate Tumor 38.36 16.03 22.33 0Epithelial Cells (Prostate) 39.45 19.29 20.16 0 Colon normal 39.44 16.622.84 0 Colon Tumor 38.73 16.22 22.51 0 Lung normal 38.99 16.12 22.87 0Lung tumor 37.2 16.58 20.63 0 Lung COPD 38.73 16.72 22 0 Colon IBD 38.315.77 22.54 0 Liver normal 39.88 17.98 21.91 0 Liver fibrosis 37.6219.28 18.34 0 Dermal Cells-fibroblasts 37.84 17.66 20.18 0 Spleen normal37.22 18.06 19.16 0 Tonsil normal 37.55 15.44 22.11 0 Lymph node 39.717.23 22.47 0 Resting PBMC 40 18.8 21.2 0 Skin-Decubitus 36.45 18.8217.64 0 Synovium 37.98 17.66 20.32 0 BM-MNC 38.51 14.83 23.68 0 (Bonemarrow mononuclear cells) Activated PBMC 37.06 13.93 23.13 0 Shear HUVEC38 17.99 20.01 0.0009

Expression of 16839 was also detected in a panel of tissues and livercell lines as shown in Table 10.

TABLE 10 Tissue Type Mean 18S Mean ∂∂ Ct Expression PIT 278/Heart 33.0613.77 19.29 0.0016 PIT 351/Kidney 30.36 12.56 17.81 0.0044 PIT915/Skeletal Muscle 38.28 11.87 26.41 0 NDR 63/Liver 33.23 11.69 21.540.0003 NDR 242/Liver 34.26 12.63 21.63 0.0003 PIT 260/Liver 33.58 11.7721.81 0.0003 CHT 756/Liver 31.77 11.65 20.13 0.0009 MPI 155/Liver 34.9114.68 20.23 0.0008 MPI 146/Liver 30.91 11.95 18.97 0.002 CHT 902/Liver35.72 12.49 23.22 0 PIT 45/Liver 33.97 12.14 21.84 0.0003 PIT 292/Liver35.46 13.65 21.82 0 CLN 784/Liver 32.56 11.76 20.8 0.0005 NDR 752/Liver31.09 11.04 20.06 0.0009 CHT 1679/Liver 35.38 11.7 23.68 0 CHT1420/Liver 33.06 11.15 21.91 0.0003 CHT 339/Liver 35.68 11.23 24.45 0CHT 1237/Liver 33.41 11.02 22.4 0.0002

Expression of 16839 was also detected in a panel of breast tumor celllines as shown in Table 11.

TABLE 11 Mean β 2 Tissue Type 16839.4 Mean ∂∂ Ct Expression MCF10MS 35.118.84 16.25 0 MCF10A 33.88 18.81 15.07 0.03 MCF10AT.cl1 34.2 18.88 15.320.02 MCF10AT.cl3 35.19 18.22 16.98 0 MCF10AT1 36.74 19.19 17.56 0MCF10AT3B 36.23 18.93 17.3 0 MCF10CA1a.cl1 36.94 16.34 20.59 0 MCF10AT3BAgar 37.76 25.07 12.68 0 MCF10CA1a.cl1 Agar 37.93 23.13 14.8 0MCF10A.m25 Plastic 32.39 23.05 9.35 1.54 MCF10CA Agar 33.63 20.71 12.930.13 MCF10CA Plastic 35.98 20.56 15.43 0 MCF3B Agar 37.34 21 16.34 0MCF3B Plastic 32.67 20.54 12.14 0.22 MCF10A EGF 0 hr 28.23 16.57 11.660.31 MCF10A EGF 0.5 hr 28.84 16.61 12.23 0.21 MCF10A EGF 1 hr 28.6816.79 11.9 0.26 MCF10A EGF 2 hr 29.54 16.88 12.66 0.15 MCF10A EGF 4 hr31.21 16.97 14.24 0.05 MCF10A EGF 8 hr 31.16 16.65 14.51 0.04 MCF10AIGF1A 0 hr 30.54 20.41 10.13 0.90 MCF10A IGF1A 0.5 hr 30.89 21.36 9.521.36 MCF10A IGF1A 1 hr 29.7 20.84 8.86 2.15 MCF10A IGF1A 3 hr 30.1421.09 9.05 1.89 MCF10A IGF1A 24 hr 28.53 20.43 8.1 3.66 MCF10AT3B.cl5Plastic 36.57 20.54 16.03 0 MCF10AT3B.cl6 Plastic 38.18 20.7 17.48 0MCF10AT3B.cl3 Plastic 39.13 20.8 18.34 0 MCF10AT3B.cl1 Plastic 35.9221.07 14.85 0 MCF10AT3B.cl4 Plastic 38.1 20.95 17.15 0 MCF10AT3B.cl2Plastic 36.49 20.75 15.74 0 MCF10AT3B.cl5 Agar 39.22 22.68 16.54 0MCF10AT3B.cl6 Agar 35.7 23.13 12.57 0 MCF-7 37.46 22.25 15.22 0 ZR--7537.54 21.25 16.3 0 T47D 37.19 20.72 16.47 0 MDA-231 33.55 19.7 13.850.07 MDA-435 34.73 19.39 15.35 0.02 SkBr3 37.16 19.86 17.3 0 Hs578Bst36.52 18.93 17.59 0 Hs578T 31.36 19 12.35 0.19

Expression of 16839 was also detected in an oncology phase panel asshown in Table 12 and shows highest relative expression in lung tumor(CHT 832 lung T-PDNCSCCL) and upregulation of 16839 was found in 3/7lung tumor tissue or cell samples.

TABLE 12 Mean Tissue Type 16839.4 β 2 Mean ∂∂ Ct Expression PIT 400Breast N 35.4 19.18 16.23 0 PIT 372 Breast N 35.38 19.66 15.72 0 CHT 558Breast N 36.38 19.02 17.36 0 CLN 168 Breast T: IDC 38.45 19.84 18.62 0MDA 304 Breast T: MD-IDC 37.04 17.84 19.2 0 NDR 58 Breast T: IDC 38.8317.84 20.99 0 NDR 05 Breast T: IDC 35.22 20.57 14.65 0 CHT 562 Breast T:IDC 34.08 18.71 15.37 0.02 NDR 12 Breast T 35.52 21.39 14.13 0 PIT 208Ovary N 37.06 18.56 18.5 0 CHT 620 Ovary N 36.05 19.2 16.85 0 CLN 03Ovary T 40 19.83 20.17 0 CLN 17 Ovary T 39.49 20 19.5 0 MDA 25 Ovary T38.42 21.65 16.78 0 MDA 216 Ovary T 38.04 20.11 17.93 0 CLN 012 Ovary T39.27 21.3 17.98 0 MDA 185 Lung N 40 19.43 20.57 0 CLN 930 Lung N 37.9920.29 17.7 0 MDA 183 Lung N 39.65 18.11 21.54 0 MPI 215 Lung T--SmC31.34 18.62 12.72 0.15 MDA 259 Lung T-PDNSCCL 37.42 19.93 17.49 0 CHT832 Lung T-PDNSCCL 28.18 18.86 9.32 1.56 MDA 253 Lung T-PDNSCC 33.3918.05 15.35 0.02 MDA 262 Lung T-SCC 38.79 22.28 16.51 0 CHT 211 LungT-AC 39.1 19.29 19.82 0 CHT 793 Lung T-ACA 35.74 18.55 17.19 0 CHT 396Colon N 39.82 17.7 22.13 0 CHT 523 Colon N 39.99 18.52 21.47 0 CHT 452Colon N 40 17.5 22.5 0 CHT 382 Colon T: MD 38.42 17.97 20.45 0 CHT 528Colon T: MD 34.85 17.54 17.32 0.01 CLN 609 Colon T 38.1 18.82 19.29 0CHT 372 Colon T: MD-PD 37.83 19.24 18.59 0 CHT 340 Colon-Liver Met 37.9319.99 17.94 0 NDR 100 Colon-Liver Met 36.52 18.26 18.27 0 PIT 260 LiverN (female) 35.31 16.93 18.37 0 ONC 102 Hemangioma 36.36 19.04 17.32 0A24 HMVEC-Arr 35.31 18.75 16.55 0 C48 HMVEC-Prol 35.12 19.18 15.94 0

Human 49937, 49931 and 49933

The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery ofnovel calcium transporter family members, referred to interchangeablyherein as “P-type ATPase”, “E1-E2 ATPase”, “human E1-E2 ATPase”, or“HEAT” nucleic acid and protein molecules (e.g., HEAT-1 (49937), HEAT-2(49931) and HEAT-3 (49933)). These novel molecules are members of theE1-E2 ATPase superfamily and are highly expressed in human vessels,endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, e.g., coronaryvascular smooth muscle cells.

The E1-E2 ATPase family is a large superfamily of cation transportenzymes that contains at least 80 members found in diverse organismssuch as bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes (Palmgren, M. G. and Axelsen,K. B. (1998) Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1365:37 45). These enzymes areinvolved in ATP hydrolysis-dependent transmembrane movement of a varietyof inorganic cations (e.g., H⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd⁺, and Mg²⁺ ions)across a concentration gradient, whereby the enzyme converts the freeenergy of ATP hydrolysis into electrochemical ion gradients. E1-E2ATPases are also known as “P-type” ATPases, referring to the existenceof a covalent high-energy phosphoryl-enzyme intermediate in the chemicalreaction pathway of these transporters. The superfamily contains fourmajor groups: Ca²⁺ transporting ATPases; Na⁺/K⁺- and gastric H⁺/K⁺transporting ATPases; plasma membrane H⁺ transporting ATPases of plants,fungi, and lower eukaryotes; and all bacterial P-type ATPases(Kuhlbrandt et al. (1998) Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 8:510-516).

The E1-E2 ATPases are involved in ATP hydrolysis-dependent transmembranemovement of inorganic cations (e.g., Ca²⁺ ions) across a concentrationgradient. E1-E2 ATPases are phosphorylated at a highly conserved DKTGsequence. Phosphorylation at this site is thought to control theenzyme's substrate affinity. Most E1-E2 ATPases contain tenalpha-helical transmembrane domains, although additional domains may bepresent. Members of the E1-E2 ATPase superfamily are able to generateelectrochemical ion gradients which enable a variety of processes in thecell such as absorption, secretion, transmembrane signaling, nerveimpulse transmission, excitation/contraction coupling, and growth anddifferentiation (Scarborough (1999) Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 11:517-522).

As indicated in herein, the HEAT molecules of the present invention,e.g., HEAT-2, are up-regulated during shear, proliferation, and tubeformation of endothelial cells and, thus, are believed to be involved inangiogenesis. Calcium ions are involved in the regulation of manycellular activities. In vascular smooth muscle cells, transientincreases in intracellular calcium levels mediate contraction. Thus,maintenance of a low steady-state level of calcium is critical tomaintaining proper cell function. Additionally, since the maindeterminant of the contraction-relaxation cycle of smooth muscle iscalcium, calcium concentration is an important factor in the regulationof vascular tone. The normal concentration of calcium in the cell is inthe submicromolar range, while the concentration in the extracellularcompartment is in the millimolar range. In order to maintainintracellular calcium concentration in the submicromolar range, severalmechanisms are operative in most cells. In smooth muscle cells, theseregulatory mechanisms include calcium extrusion via Ca²⁺-transportingE1-E2 ATPases at the plasma membrane and at the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmicreticulum.

Thus, as the HEAT molecules of the present invention areCa²⁺-transporting E1-E2 ATPases, and are highly expressed in vessels,endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, these molecules arebelieved to be involved in vasotone regulation of vascular smooth musclecells, e.g., coronary vascular smooth muscle cells. For example,activation of a HEAT molecule of the invention, e.g., HEAT-3, may resultin decreased cytosolic calcium concentrations, thus reducing vasculartone. Inhibition of a HEAT molecule of the invention, e.g., HEAT-3, mayresult in decreased intracellular calcium store, which may subsequentlylower the calcium release by vasopressor stimulation, thereby reducingvascular smooth muscle tone.

Accordingly, the HEAT molecules of the present invention provide noveldiagnostic targets and therapeutic agents for cardiovascular disorders.The HEAT molecules of the present invention further provide noveldiagnostic targets and therapeutic agents for cellular proliferation,growth, or differentiation disorders. Additional disorders that may betreated using the molecules of the present invention include disordersaffecting tissues in which HEAT protein is expressed (e.g., vessels,endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells).

The family of HEAT proteins of the present invention comprises at leastone “transmembrane domain,” preferably at least 2, 3, or 4 transmembranedomains, more preferably 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 transmembrane domains, evenmore preferably 10 or 11 transmembrane domains, and most preferably, 12transmembrane domains. As used herein, the term “transmembrane domain”includes an amino acid sequence of about 15 amino acid residues inlength which spans the plasma membrane. More preferably, a transmembranedomain includes about at least 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 amino acidresidues and spans the plasma membrane. Transmembrane domains are richin hydrophobic residues, and typically have an alpha-helical structure.In a preferred embodiment, at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95% or moreof the amino acids of a transmembrane domain are hydrophobic, e.g.,leucines, isoleucines, tyrosines, or tryptophans. Transmembrane domainsare described in, for example, Zagotta, W. N. et al. (1996) Annu. Rev.Neurosci. 19:235-263, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference. Amino acid residues 8-25, 47-65, 231-253, 256-276, 428-448,464-484, 936-954, 963-987, 994-1015, 1049-1065, 1079-1102, and 1118-1134of the human HEAT-1 protein (SEQ ID NO:64) are predicted to comprisetransmembrane domains. Amino acid residues 29-50, 211-227, 234-253,294-317, 410-434, 449-469, 941-960, 968-985, 1000-1020, 1076-1092,1105-1129, 1144-1160 of the human HEAT-2 protein (SEQ ID NO:68) arepredicted to comprise transmembrane domains. Amino acid residues 65-89,99-116, 242-258, 265-281, 445-464, 493-509, 990-1007, 1015-1031,1049-1073, 1103-1119, 1134-1151, 1171-1187 of the human HEAT-3 protein(SEQ ID NO:71) are also predicted to comprise transmembrane domains.

In another embodiment, members of the HEAT family of proteins include atleast one “E1-E2 ATPase domain” in the protein or corresponding nucleicacid molecule. As used herein, the term “E1-E2 ATPase” domain includes aprotein domain having at least about 70-110 amino acid residues and abit score of at least 30 when compared against an E1-E2 ATPase HiddenMarkov Model (HMM), e.g., PFAM Accession Number PF00122. Preferably, anE1-E2 ATPase domain includes a protein having an amino acid sequence ofabout 80-100, or more preferably about 87, 89, or 90 amino acidresidues, and a bit score of at least 35, 40, 50, or more preferably,37.0, 51.4, or 53.4. To identify the presence of an E1-E2 ATPase domainin a HEAT protein, and make the determination that a protein of interesthas a particular profile, the amino acid sequence of the protein issearched against a database of known protein motifs and/or domains(e.g., the HMM database). The E1-E2 ATPase domain (HMM) has beenassigned the PFAM Accession number PF00122 (see the PFAM website,available online through Washington University in Saint Louis). A searchwas performed against the HMM database resulting in the identificationof an E1-E2 ATPase domain in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 atabout residues 299-387 of SEQ ID NO:64. A search was also performedagainst the HMM database resulting in the identification of an E1-E2ATPase domain in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 at aboutresidues 278-365 of SEQ ID NO:68. A search was further performed againstthe HMM database resulting in the identification of an E1-E2 ATPasedomain in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 at about residues302-392 of SEQ ID NO:71.

A description of the Pfam database can be found in Sonhammer et al.(1997) Proteins 28:405-420, and a detailed description of HMMs can befound, for example, in Gribskov et al. (1990) Methods Enzymol.183:146-159; Gribskov et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA84:4355-4358; Krogh et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 235:1501-1531; andStultz et al. (1993) Protein Sci. 2:305-314, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

Preferably an E1-E2 ATPase domain is at least about 70-110 amino acidresidues and has an “E1-E2 ATPase activity”, for example, the ability tointeract with a HEAT substrate or target molecule (e.g., ATP or a cationsuch as Ca²⁺); to transport a HEAT substrate or target molecule (e.g., acation such as Ca²⁺) from one side of a biological membrane to theother; to adopt an E1 conformation or an E2 conformation; to convert aHEAT substrate or target molecule to a product (e.g., to hydrolyze ATP);to interact with a second non-HEAT protein; to modulate intra- orinter-cellular signaling and/or gene transcription (e.g., eitherdirectly or indirectly); to modulate vascular smooth muscle tone; tomodulate cellular growth and/or proliferation; and/or to modulateangiogenesis. Accordingly, identifying the presence of an “E1-E2 ATPasedomain” can include isolating a fragment of a HEAT molecule (e.g., aHEAT polypeptide) and assaying for the ability of the fragment toexhibit one of the aforementioned E1-E2 ATPase domain activities.

In another embodiment, a HEAT molecule of the present invention may alsobe identified based on its ability to adopt an E1 conformation or an E2conformation. As used herein, an “E1 conformation” of a HEAT proteinincludes a 3-dimensional conformation of a HEAT protein which does notexhibit HEAT activity (e.g., the ability to transport Ca²⁺), as definedherein. An E1 conformation of a HEAT protein usually occurs when theHEAT protein is unphosphorylated. As used herein, an “E2 conformation”of a HEAT protein includes a 3-dimensional conformation of a HEATprotein which exhibits HEAT activity (e.g., the ability to transport cCa²⁺), as defined herein. An E2 conformation of a HEAT protein usuallyoccurs when the HEAT protein is phosphorylated.

In another embodiment, a HEAT protein of the present invention isidentified based on the presence of an “E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylationsite” in the protein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. An E1-E2ATPases phosphorylation site functions in accepting a phosphate moietyand has the following consensus sequence: D-K-T-G-T-[LIVM]-[TI] (SEQ IDNO:73), wherein D is phosphorylated. The use of amino acids in bracketsindicates that the amino acid at the indicated position may be any oneof the amino acids within the brackets, e.g., [TI] indicates any of oneof either T (threonine) or I (isoleucine). The E1-E2 ATPasesphosphorylation site has been assigned ProSite Accession Number PS00154.To identify the presence of an E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site in aHEAT protein, and to make the determination that a protein of interesthas a particular profile, the amino acid sequence of the protein may besearched against a database of known protein domains (e.g., the ProSitedatabase) using the default parameters (available online through theSwiss Institute for Bioinformatics). A search was performed against theProSite database resulting in the identification of an E1-E2 ATPasesphosphorylation site in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 (SEQ IDNO:64) at about residues 513-519. A similar search resulted in theidentification of an E1-E2 phosphorylation site in the amino acidsequence of human HEAT-2 (SEQ ID NO:68) at about residues 498-504 and inthe amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 (SEQ ID NO:71) at about residues533-539.

Preferably an E1-E2 ATPase phosphorylation site has a “phosphorylationsite activity,” for example, the ability to be phosphorylated; to bedephosphorylated; to regulate the E1-E2 conformational change of theHEAT protein in which it is contained; to regulate transport of Ca²⁺across a biological membrane by the HEAT protein in which it iscontained; and/or to regulate the activity (as defined herein) of theHEAT protein in which it is contained. Accordingly, identifying thepresence of an “E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site” can includeisolating a fragment of a HEAT molecule (e.g., a HEAT polypeptide) andassaying for the ability of the fragment to exhibit one of theaforementioned phosphorylation site activities.

The family of HEAT proteins of the present invention also comprises atleast one “large extramembrane domain” in the protein or correspondingnucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a “large extramembrane domain”includes a domain having greater than 20 amino acid residues that isfound between transmembrane domains, preferably on the cytoplasmic sideof the plasma membrane, and does not span or traverse the plasmamembrane. A large extramembrane domain preferably includes at least one,two, three, four or more motifs or consensus sequences characteristic ofP-type or E1-E2 ATPases, i.e., includes one, two, three, four, or more“P-type ATPase consensus sequences or motifs”. As used herein, thephrase “P-type ATPase consensus sequences or motifs” includes anyconsensus sequence or motif known in the art to be characteristic ofP-type ATPases, including, but not limited to, the P-type ATPasesequence 1 motif (as defined herein), the P-type ATPase sequence 2 motif(as defined herein), the P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif (as definedherein), and the E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site (as defined herein).

In one embodiment, the family of HEAT proteins of the present inventioncomprises at least one “N-terminal” large extramembrane domain in theprotein or corresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, an“N-terminal” large extramembrane domain is found in the N-terminal⅓^(rd) of the protein, preferably between the fourth and fifthtransmembrane domains of a HEAT protein, and includes about 50-270,50-250, 60-230, 70-210, 80-190, 90-170, or preferably, 92, 151, or 163amino acid residues. In a preferred embodiment, an N-terminal largeextramembrane domain includes at least one P-type ATPase sequence 1motif (as described herein). An N-terminal large extramembrane domainwas identified in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 at aboutresidues 277-427 of SEQ ID NO:64. An N-terminal large extramembranedomain was also identified in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 atabout residues 318-409 of SEQ ID NO:68 and in the amino acid sequence ofhuman HEAT-3 at about residues 282-444 of SEQ ID NO:71.

The family of HEAT proteins of the present invention also comprises atleast one “C-terminal” large extramembrane domain in the protein orcorresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a “C-terminal”large extramembrane domain is found in the C-terminal ⅔^(rds) of theprotein, preferably between the sixth and seventh transmembrane domainsof a HEAT protein and includes about 340-590, 360-570, 380-550, 400-530,420-510, 440-490, or preferably, 451, 471, or 480 amino acid residues.In a preferred embodiment, a C-terminal large extramembrane domainincludes at least one or more of the following motifs: a P-type ATPasesequence 2 motif (as described herein), a P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif(as defined herein), and/or an E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site (asdefined herein). A C-terminal large extramembrane domain was identifiedin the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 at about residues 485-935 ofSEQ ID NO:64, in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 at aboutresidues 470-940 of SEQ ID NO:68, and in the amino acid sequence ofhuman HEAT-3 at about residues 510-989 of SEQ ID NO:71.

In another embodiment, a HEAT protein of the present invention includesat least one “P-type ATPase sequence 1 motif” in the protein orcorresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a “P-type ATPasesequence 1 motif” is a conserved sequence motif diagnostic for P-typeATPases (Tang, X. et al. (1996) Science 272:1495-1497; Fagan, M. J. andSaier, M. H. (1994) J. Mol. Evol. 38:57). A P-type ATPase sequence 1motif is involved in the coupling of ATP hydrolysis with transport(e.g., transport of Ca²⁺). The consensus sequence for a P-type ATPasesequence 1 motif is [DNS]-[QENR]-[SA]-[LIVSAN]-[LIV]-[TSN]-G-E-[SN] (SEQID NO:75). The use of amino acids in brackets indicates that the aminoacid at the indicated position may be any one of the amino acids withinthe brackets, e.g., [SA] indicates any of one of either S (serine) or A(alanine). In a preferred embodiment, a P-type ATPase sequence 1 motifis contained within an N-terminal large extramembrane domain. In anotherpreferred embodiment, a P-type ATPase sequence 1 motif in the HEATproteins of the present invention has at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ormore amino acid resides which match the consensus sequence for a P-typeATPase sequence 1 motif. A P-type ATPase sequence 1 motif was identifiedin the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 at about residues 341-349 ofSEQ ID NO:64, in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 at aboutresidues 318-326 of SEQ ID NO:68, and in the amino acid sequence ofhuman HEAT-3 at about residues 348-356 of SEQ ID NO:71.

In another embodiment, a HEAT protein of the present invention includesat least one “P-type ATPase sequence 2 motif” in the protein orcorresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a “P-type ATPasesequence 2 motif” is a conserved sequence motif diagnostic for P-typeATPases (Tang, X. et al. (1996) Science 272:1495-1497; Fagan, M. J. andSaier, M. H. (1994) J. Mol. Evol. 38:57). Preferably, a P-type ATPasesequence 2 motif overlaps with and/or includes an E1-E2 ATPasesphosphorylation site (as defined herein). The consensus sequence for aP-type ATPase sequence 2 motif is [LIV]-[CAML]-[STFL]-D-K-T-G-T-[LI]-T(SEQ ID NO:76). The use of amino acids in brackets indicates that theamino acid at the indicated position may be any one of the amino acidswithin the brackets, e.g., [LI] indicates any of one of either L(leucine) or I (isoleucine). In a preferred embodiment, a P-type ATPasesequence 2 motif is contained within a C-terminal large extramembranedomain. In another preferred embodiment, a P-type ATPase sequence 2motif in the HEAT proteins of the present invention has at least 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more amino acid resides which match the consensussequence for a P-type ATPase sequence 2 motif. A P-type ATPase sequence2 motif was identified in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 atabout residues 510-519 of SEQ ID NO:64, in the amino acid sequence ofhuman HEAT-2 at about residues 495-504 of SEQ ID NO:68, and in the aminoacid sequence of human HEAT-3 at about residues 530-539 of SEQ ID NO:71.

In yet another embodiment, a HEAT protein of the present inventionincludes at least one “P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif” in the protein orcorresponding nucleic acid molecule. As used herein, a “P-type ATPasesequence 3 motif” is a conserved sequence motif diagnostic for P-typeATPases (Tang, X. et al. (1996) Science 272:1495-1497; Fagan, M. J. andSaier, M. H. (1994) J. Mol. Evol. 38:57). A P-type ATPase sequence 3motif is involved in ATP binding. The consensus sequence for a P-typeATPase sequence 3 motif is [TIV]-G-D-G-X-N-D-[ASG]-P-[ASV]-L (SEQ IDNO:77). X indicates that the amino acid at the indicated position may beany amino acid (i.e., is not conserved). The use of amino acids inbrackets indicates that the amino acid at the indicated position may beany one of the amino acids within the brackets, e.g., [TIV] indicatesany of one of either T (threonine), I (isoleucine), or V (valine). In apreferred embodiment, a P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif is containedwithin a C-terminal large extramembrane domain. In another preferredembodiment, a P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif in the HEAT proteins of thepresent invention has at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more amino acidresides (including the amino acid at the position indicated by “X”)which match the consensus sequence for a P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif.A P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif was identified in the amino acidsequence of human HEAT-1 at about residues 876-886 of SEQ ID NO:64, inthe amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 at about residues 881-891 of SEQID NO:68, and in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 at aboutresidues 862-872 of SEQ ID NO:71.

Isolated HEAT proteins of the present invention have an amino acidsequence sufficiently homologous to the amino acid sequence of SEQ IDNO:64, 68, or 71, or are encoded by a nucleotide sequence sufficientlyhomologous to SEQ ID NO:63, 65, 67, 69, 70, or 72. As used herein, theterm “sufficiently homologous” refers to a first amino acid ornucleotide sequence which contains a sufficient or minimum number ofidentical or equivalent (e.g., an amino acid residue which has a similarside chain) amino acid residues or nucleotides to a second amino acid ornucleotide sequence such that the first and second amino acid ornucleotide sequences share common structural domains or motifs and/or acommon functional activity. For example, amino acid or nucleotidesequences which share common structural domains having at least 50%,55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%,97%, 98%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%,99.9% or more homology or identity across the amino acid sequences ofthe domains and contain at least one and preferably two structuraldomains or motifs, are defined herein as sufficiently homologous.Furthermore, amino acid or nucleotide sequences which share at least50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%,99.8%, 99.9% or more homology or identity and share a common functionalactivity are defined herein as sufficiently homologous.

In a preferred embodiment, a HEAT protein includes at least one or moreof the following domains or motifs: a transmembrane domain, an E1-E2ATPase domain, an E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site, an N-terminallarge extramembrane domain, a C-terminal large extramembrane domain, aP-type ATPase sequence 1 motif, a P-type ATPase sequence 2 motif, and/ora P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif, and has an amino acid sequence atleast about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%,94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%,99.7%, 99.8%, 99.9% or more homologous or identical to the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:64, 68, or 71. In yet another preferredembodiment, a HEAT protein includes at least one or more of thefollowing domains or motifs: a transmembrane domain, an E1-E2 ATPasedomain, an E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site, an N-terminal largeextramembrane domain, a C-terminal large extramembrane domain, a P-typeATPase sequence 1 motif, a P-type ATPase sequence 2 motif, and/or aP-type ATPase sequence 3 motif, and is encoded by a nucleic acidmolecule having a nucleotide sequence which hybridizes under stringenthybridization conditions to a complement of a nucleic acid moleculecomprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:63, 65, 67, 69, 70, or72. In another preferred embodiment, a HEAT protein includes at leastone or more of the following domains or motifs: a transmembrane domain,an E1-E2 ATPase domain, an E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site, anN-terminal large extramembrane domain, a C-terminal large extramembranedomain, a P-type ATPase sequence 1 motif, a P-type ATPase sequence 2motif, and/or a P-type ATPase sequence 3 motif, and has a HEAT activity.

As used interchangeably herein, a “HEAT activity”, “biological activityof HEAT” or “functional activity of HEAT”, includes an activity exertedor mediated by a HEAT protein, polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule on aHEAT responsive cell or on a HEAT substrate, as determined in vivo or invitro, according to standard techniques. In one embodiment, a HEATactivity is a direct activity, such as an association with a HEAT targetmolecule. As used herein, a “target molecule” or “binding partner” is amolecule with which a HEAT protein binds or interacts in nature, suchthat HEAT-mediated function is achieved. A HEAT target molecule can be anon-HEAT molecule or a HEAT protein or polypeptide of the presentinvention. In an exemplary embodiment, a HEAT target molecule is a HEATsubstrate (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion; ATP; or a non-HEAT protein). A HEATactivity can also be an indirect activity, such as a cellular signalingactivity mediated by interaction of the HEAT protein with a HEATsubstrate (e.g., regulation of vascular smooth muscle tone, cellulargrowth and/or proliferation, and/or angiogenesis).

In a preferred embodiment, a HEAT activity is at least one of thefollowing activities: (i) interaction with a HEAT substrate or targetmolecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion; ATP; or a non-HEAT protein); (ii) transportof a HEAT substrate or target molecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion) from one sideof a biological membrane to the other; (iii) the ability to bephosphorylated or dephosphorylated; (iv) adoption of an E1 conformationor an E2 conformation; (v) conversion of a HEAT substrate or targetmolecule to a product (e.g., hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and freephosphate); (vi) interaction with a second non-HEAT protein; (vii)modulation of intra- or inter-cellular signaling and/or genetranscription (e.g., either directly or indirectly); (viii) modulationof vascular smooth muscle tone; (ix) modulation of cellular growthand/or proliferation; and/or (x) modulation of angiogenesis.

Isolation of the Human HEAT cDNAs

The invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery of genesencoding novel members of the E1-E2 ATPase family. The entire sequenceof human clones Fbh49937, Fbh49931, and Fbh49933 were determined andfound to contain open reading frames termed human “HEAT-1,” human“HEAT-2,” and human “HEAT-3,” respectively.

The nucleotide sequence encoding the human HEAT-b 1 gene, which isapproximately 4055 nucleotides in length, is set forth as SEQ ID NO:63.The protein encoded by this nucleic acid molecule has a molecular weightof approximately 129.8 kD, it comprises about 1180 amino acids and ithas the amino acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NO:64. The coding region(open reading frame) of SEQ ID NO:63 is set forth as SEQ ID NO:65.

The nucleotide sequence encoding the human HEAT-2 gene, which isapproximately 7249 nucleotides in length, is set forth as SEQ ID NO:67.The protein encoded by this nucleic acid molecule has a molecular weightof approximately 138.2 kD, it comprises about 1256 amino acids and ithas the amino acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NO:68. The coding region(open reading frame) of SEQ ID NO:67 is set forth as SEQ ID NO:69.

The nucleotide sequence encoding the human HEAT-3 gene, which isapproximately 3919 nucleotides in length, is set forth as SEQ ID NO:70.The protein encoded by this nucleic acid molecule has a molecular weightof approximately 132.5 kD, it comprises about 1204 amino acids and ithas the amino acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NO:71. The coding region(open reading frame) of SEQ ID NO:70 is set forth as SEQ ID NO:72.

Analysis of the Human HEAT Molecules

The amino acid sequences of human HEAT-1, HEAT-2, and HEAT-3 wereanalyzed using the program PSORT (available online; see Nakai, K. andKanehisa, M. (1992) Genomics 14:897-911) to predict the localization ofthe proteins within the cell. This program assesses the presence ofdifferent targeting and localization of amino acid sequences within thequery sequence. The results of the analyses show that human HEAT-1 maybe localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, secretoryvesicles, or vacuoles. The results of these analyses further show thathuman HEAT-2 may be localized to the endoplasmic reticulum or themitochondria and that human HEAT-3 may be localized to endoplasmicreticulum, the mitochondria, or vacuoles.

Analyses of the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1, HEAT-2, and HEAT-3were performed using MEMSAT. These analyses resulted in theidentification of twelve possible transmembrane domains in the aminoacid sequence of human HEAT-2 at residues 29-50, 211-227, 234-253,294-317, 410-434, 449-469, 941-960, 968-985, 1000-1020, 1076-1092,1105-1129, and 1144-1160 of SEQ ID NO:68. These analyses furtherresulted in the identification of twelve possible transmembrane domainsin the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 at residues 65-89, 99-116,242-258, 265-281, 445-464, 493-509, 990-1007, 1015-1031, 1049-1073,1049-1073, 1103-1119, 1134-1151, and 1171-1187 of SEQ ID NO:71. Furtheranalysis of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:71 (e.g., a Clustal W(1.74) multiple sequence alignment, for example, of the human HEAT-3amino acid sequence with a known C. elegans cation-transporting ATPase(YE56elegans; SEQ ID NO:74; GenBank Accession No. P90747)) clearlyidentifies the twelve transmembrane domains of the HEAT-3 gene. Theanalysis of human HEAT-1 predicted twelve possible transmembrane domainsin the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 (SEQ ID NO:64) at aboutresidues 8-25, 47-65, 256-276, 428-448, 464-484, 900-920, 936-954,963-987, 994-1015, 1049-1065, 1079-1102, and 1118-1134. The potentialtransmembrane domain at about residues 900-920 has a notably low scoreof only 0.4 by MEMSAT analysis. Further analysis of the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:64 (e.g., alignment with, for example, a known C.elegans E1-E2 ATPase cation transporter (SEQ ID NO:66)) resulted in theidentification of a twelfth transmembrane domain at about amino acidresidues 231-253 of SEQ ID NO:64. Accordingly, the human HEAT-1 proteinof SEQ ID NO:64 is predicted to have at least twelve transmembranedomains, for example, at about residues 8-25, 47-65, 231-253, 256-276,428-448, 464-484, 936-954, 963-987, 994-1015, 1049-1065, 1079-1102, and1118-1134.

Searches of the amino acid sequences of human HEAT-1, HEAT-2, and HEAT-3were also performed against the HMM database. These searches resulted inthe identification of an “E1-E2 ATPase” domain in the amino acidsequence of HEAT-1 at about residues 299-387 (score=51.4) of SEQ IDNO:64. These searches also resulted in the identification of an “E1-E2ATPase” domain in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 at aboutresidues 278-365 (score=53.4) of SEQ ID NO:68. These searches furtherresulted in the identification of an “E1-E2 ATPase” domain in the aminoacid sequence of human HEAT-3 at about residues 302-392 (score=37.0) ofSEQ ID NO:71.

Searches of the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-b 1 were performedagainst the Prosite database. These searches resulted in theidentification of an “E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site” at aboutresidues 513-519 of SEQ ID NO:64. These searches also resulted in theidentification in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-1 of a number ofpotential N-glycosylation sites, cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasephosphorylation sites, protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, caseinkinase II phosphorylation sites, and N-myristoylation sites.

Searches of the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 were also performedagainst the Prosite database. These searches resulted in theidentification of an “E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site” at aboutresidues 498-504 of SEQ ID NO:68. These searches also resulted in theidentification in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 of a number ofpotential N-glycosylation sites, cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasephosphorylation sites, protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, caseinkinase II phosphorylation sites, tyrosine phosphorylation sites, andN-myristoylation sites.

Searches of the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 were furtherperformed against the Prosite database. These searches resulted in theidentification of an “E1-E2 ATPases phosphorylation site” at aboutresidues 533-539 of SEQ ID NO:71. These searches also resulted in theidentification in the amino acid sequence of human HEAT-3 of a number ofpotential N-glycosylation sites, cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinasephosphorylation sites, protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, caseinkinase II phosphorylation sites, and N-myristoylation sites.

The amino acid sequence of human HEAT-2 was used as a database queryusing the BLASTP program. This search established that human HEAT-2 hasthe highest homology to a putative yeast Ca²⁺-transporting ATPase (highscore=798, probability=2.9e-87).

Table 13 depicts an alignment of a region important in calcium bindingfrom HEAT-1, HEAT-2, HEAT-3 with similar sequences from a number ofE1-E2 ATPases of various substrate specificities from a number ofdifferent organisms. This region includes the sixth transmembrane domainfrom each of HEAT-1, HEAT-2, and HEAT-3, as well as a number of aminoacid residues adjacent to the sixth transmembrane domain. Amino acidresidues determined to be important for calcium binding by mutagenesisof a SERCA calcium-transporting E1-E2 ATPase are indicated (“SERCAmutagenesis”). Amino acid residues in this region that are critical forcalcium binding are indicated in bold. Substrate specificities are asfollows: Type V (calcium), Ca²⁺ (calcium), Cu²⁺ (copper), Na⁺/K⁺(sodium/potassium), and PL (phospholipid).

TABLE 13 SEQ GenBank ID Substrate Gene Name Acc No. Sequence NO:Specificity SERCA IPEGLPA 78 mutagenesis Fbh49937FLDLVTVVVPPALPAAMTVCTLYAQSRLRR 79 (HEAT-1) Fbh49931FLDIITITVPPALPAAMTAGIVYAQRRLKK 80 (HEAT-2) Fbh49933FLLILTSVVPPELPIELSLAVNTSLIALAK 81 (HEAT-3) ATC9_Yeast_(—) Q12697DIITIVVPPALPATLTIGTNFALSRLKEK 82 Type V yor291 ATC6_Yeast_(—) P39986LIITSVVPPELPMELTMAVNSSLAALAK 83 Type V SPF1_ye1031w w ATCY_SCHPO_(—)O14022 VLTILVPPALPATLSVGIANSIARLSRA 84 Type V sp_0140220 Gp_7324471_(—)AAF59622 DLVTIVVPPALPAVMGIGTFYAQRRLRQK 85 Type V CE Sp_Q21286_(—) Q21286DIITIVVPPALPAAMSVGIINANSRLKKK 86 Type V YBF7_CAEEL YH2M_CAEEL_(—) Q27533DIITITVPPALPAAMSVGIINAQLRLKKK 87 Type V sp_q27533 YE56_CAEEL_(—)CAB05683 LILTSVIPPELPIELSLAVNSSLMALQKL 88 Type V CAB05683 ATP2A1_H_(—)AAB53112 ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 89 Ca²⁺ AAB53112 Rabbit P04191ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 90 Ca²⁺ SERCA1 ATCB_Chick_(—) P13585ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 91 Ca²⁺ SERCA1 ATC2_FELCA_(—) Q00779ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 92 Ca²⁺ SERCA2 SERCA AAB82291ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 93 Ca²⁺ Procambarus clarkii hSERCA2 P16615ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 94 Ca²⁺ hSERCA3 Q93084ALAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMARK 95 Ca²⁺ ATCB_DROME_(—) P22700AVAVAAIPEGLPAVITTCLALGTRRMAKK 96 Ca²⁺ P22700_(—) 158416 ATC1_Yeast_(—)P13586 SLAVAAIPEGLPIIVTVTLALGVLRMAKR 97 Ca²⁺ PMR1 Y_PMC1 P38929TVIVVAVPEGLPLAVTLALAFATTRMTKD 98 Ca²⁺ hPMCA1 P20020TVLVVAVPEGLPLAVTISLAYSVKKMMKD 99 Ca²⁺ hPMCA2 Q01814TVLVVAVPEGLPLAVTISLAYSVKKMMKD 100 Ca²⁺ Rat PMCA1TVLVVAVPEGLPLAVTISLAYSVKKMMKD 101 Ca²⁺ PMCA3_H Q16720TVLVVAVPEGLPLAVTISLAYSVKKMMKD 102 Ca²⁺ PMCA4_H P23634TVLVVAVPEGLPLAVTISLAYSVKKMMKD 103 Ca²⁺ Pcalp_Yeast P38360TVLIVSCPCVIGLAVPIVFVIASGVAAKR 104 Cu²⁺ AT7A_Human Q04656TVLCIACPCSLGLATPTAVMVGTGVGAQN 105 Cu²⁺ AT7B_Human P35670TVLCIACPCSLGLATPTAVMVGTGVAAQN 106 Cu²⁺ ATNA_DROME_(—) P13607GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTLTAKRMASK 107 Na⁺/K⁺ P13607_(—) 732656 ATNA_HYDATP35317 GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTLTAKKMAKK 108 Na⁺/K⁺ ATN1_BUFMA P30714GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTLTAKRMARK 109 Na⁺/K⁺ ATN1 Human P05023GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTLTAKRMARK 110 Na⁺/K⁺ ATN2 Human P50993GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTLTAKRMARK 111 Na⁺/K⁺ ATN3 Human P13637GIIVANVPEGLLATVTVCLTVTAKRMARK 112 Na⁺/K⁺ ATPP2_H_(—) AAD34706ILFNNLIPISLLVTLEVVKFTQAYFINWD 113 PL AAD34706 DRS2_ATC4_(—) P39524ILFSNLVPISLFVTVELIKYYQAFMIGSD 114 PL yeastTissue Expression Analysis of HEAT-1, HEAT-2, and HEAT-3 mRNA UsingTranscriptional Profiling and TAQMAN™ Analysis

This example describes the tissue distribution of human HEAT-2 mRNA, asdetermined using transcriptional profiling analysis and the TAQMAN™procedure. For transcriptional profiling analysis, an array of severalthousand cDNA clones are spotted onto a nylon membrane and probed with acomplex probe prepared by radiolabeling cDNA made from mRNA from, forexample, normal tissue, and another, separate probe made from mRNA fromanother tissue, for example, diseased tissue. Expression levels of eachgene in the first (e.g., normal) and the second (e.g., diseased) tissueare then compared. Transcriptional profiling thus allows assessment ofthe expression level of several thousand genes in an mRNA sample at thesame time.

Endothelial Cell Paradigms

To induce tube formation, human microvascular endothelial cells isolatedfrom the lung (HMVECs) were plated on Matrigel to induce capillary-liketube formation. At 5 hours, the cells were actively forming tubes, andRNA was harvested. Additional RNA samples were prepared from cells 25hours after plating on Matrigel when tube formation was complete, andfrom actively proliferating and confluent HMVECs grown on plastic.

Cells were also treated with laminar shear stress (LSS) of 7 dyn/cm² for24-30 hours, LSS plus one or six additional hours of 12 dyn/cm² (“1 hup” or “6 h up”), or LSS plus one or six additional hours of 2 dyn/cm²(“1 h down” or “6 h down”).

HEAT-1

The expression levels of human HEAT-b 1 mRNA in various human and monkeycell types and tissues was first determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure.The tissues and cells tested correspond to (1) normal artery; (2) normalvein; (3) aortic smooth muscle cells (early); (4) coronary smooth musclecells; (5) umbilical vein endothelial cells (static); (6) umbilical veinendothelial cells (shear); (7) normal heart; (8) heart (congestive heartfailure); (9) kidney; (10) skeletal muscle; (11) normal adipose tissue;(12) pancreas; (13) primary osteoblasts; (14) differentiatedosteoclasts; (15) normal skin; (16) normal spinal cord; (17) normalbrain cortex; (18) normal brain hypothalamus; (19) nerve; (20) dorsalroot ganglion; (21) glial cells (astrocytes); (22) glioblastoma; (23)normal breast; (24) breast tumor; (25) normal ovary; (26) ovarian tumor;(27) normal prostate; (28) prostate tumor; (29) epithelial cells(prostate); (30) normal colon; (31) colon tumor; (32) normal lung; (33)lung tumor; (34) lung (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); (35)colon (inflammatory bowel disease); (36) normal liver; (37) liverfibrosis; (38) dermal cells (fibroblasts); (39) normal spleen; (40)normal tonsil; (41) lymph node; (42) small intestine; (43) skin(decubitus); (44) synovium; (45) bone marrow mononuclear cells; and (46)activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. As assessed by thisTAQMAN™ analysis, HEAT-1 is highly expressed in coronary artery vascularsmooth muscle cells, prostate epithelial cells, pancreas, and brain(including cortex, hypothalamus, dorsal root ganglion cells, and glialcells/astrocytes).

The expression levels of human HEAT-1 mRNA in various human vascularrich organs was then determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure, the samplestested include (1) confluent microvascular endothelial cells; (2) aorticsmooth muscle cells; (3) fetal heart; (4) normal heart atrium; (5)normal heart atrium; (6) normal heart ventricle; (7) normal heartventricle; (8) normal heart ventricle; (9) normal heart ventricle; (10)normal heart ventricle; (11) diseased heart ventricle; (12) diseasedheart ventricle; (13) diseased heart ventricle; (14) normal kidney; (15)normal kidney; (16) normal kidney; (17) normal kidney; (18) normalkidney; (19) hypertensive kidney; (20) hypertensive kidney; (21)hypertensive kidney; (22) hypertensive kidney; (23) skeletal muscle;(24) skeletal muscle; (25) liver; (26) liver; (27) normal fetal adrenalgland; (28) Wilms tumor; (29) Wilms tumor; (30) normal spinal cord; and(31) diseased cartilage. As assessed by this TAQMAN™ panel, HEAT-1 ishighly expressed in Wilms' tumor, normal spinal cord, and microvascularendothelial cells.

In another TAQMAN™ experiment, the expression levels of human HEAT-b 1mRNA in various human and monkey vessels, namely (1) human aortic smoothmuscle cells; (2) human microvascular endothelial cells; (3) humanadipose tissue; (4) human normal carotid artery; (5) human normalcarotid artery; (6) human normal muscular artery; (7) human diseasediliac artery; (8) human diseased tibial artery; (9) human diseasedaorta; (10) human normal saphenous vein; (11) human normal saphenousvein; (12) human normal saphenous vein; (13) human normal saphenousvein; (14) human diseased saphenous vein; (15) human normal vein; (16)human normal vein; (17) human normal vein; (18) monkey normal coronaryartery; (19) monkey normal coronary artery; (20) monkey normal coronaryartery; (21) monkey normal coronary artery; (22) monkey normal vein; and(23) no transcriptase control, was determined. This TAQMAN™ paneldemonstrated that HEAT-1 is highly expressed in vessels such as arteriesand veins.

The expression levels of human HEAT-1 mRNA in various human coronaryvascular cell types, namely (1) aortic smooth muscle cells; (2) aorticsmooth muscle cells; (3) aortic smooth muscle cells; (4) coronary smoothmuscle cells; (5) coronary smooth muscle cells; (6) coronary smoothmuscle cells; (7) coronary smooth muscle cells; (8) macrophages; (9)macrophages treated with IFNγ; (10) macrophages treated with CD40; (11)macrophages treated with LPS; (12) umbilical vein endothelial cells;(13) microvascular endothelial cells; (14) aortic endothelial cells;(15) aortic endothelial cells; (16) cortex renal epithelium; (17) renalproximal tubule epithelium; (18) mesangial cells; (19) skeletal muscle;(20) skeletal muscle; and (21) lung fibroblasts was also determinedusing the Taqman procedure. This TAQMAN™ panel demonstrated that HEAT-1is highly expressed in coronary and vascular smooth muscle cells, ascompared to other cell types.

The expression levels of human HEAT-1 mRNA in various human endothelialcell paradigms was determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. Theseexperiments demonstrated that human HEAT-1 is upregulated during shearstress of endothelial cells and that human HEAT-1 is upregulated duringproliferation and tube formation of endothelial cells. These datastrongly link human HEAT-1 to a role in angiogenesis.

HEAT-2

The expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA in various human and monkeycell types and tissues was first determined using transcriptionalprofiling. The samples tested include (1) human aortic smooth musclecells; (2) human coronary artery smooth muscle cells; (3) humanumbilical vein endothelial cells; (4) human microvascular endothelialcells (lung); (5) monkey aorta; (6) monkey vein; (7) monkey heart; and(8) monkey liver. As shown in these experiments, HEAT-2 is highlyexpressed in coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells, as comparedto other tissues such as aortic vascular smooth muscle cells, umbilicalvein endothelial cells, microvascular endothelial cells, heart, liver,aorta, and vein. The expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA in varioushuman cell types and tissues was then confirmed in a second experimentusing the TAQMAN™ procedure using a panel consisting of the followingtissues and samples: (1) normal aorta; (2) normal fetal heart; (3)normal heart; (4) heart (congestive heart failure); (5) normal vein; (6)aortic smooth muscle cells; (7) normal spinal cord; (8) brain (normalcortex); (9) brain (hypothalamus); (10) glial cells (astrocytes); (11)brain (glioblastoma); (12) normal breast; (13) breast tumor(infiltrating ductal carcinoma); (14) normal ovary; (15) ovarian tumor;(16) pancreas; (17) normal prostate; (18) prostate tumor; (19) normalcolon; (20) colon tumor; (21) colon (inflammatory bowel disease); (22)normal kidney; (23) normal liver; (24) fibrotic liver; (25) normal fetalliver; (26) normal lung; (27) lung tumor; (28) lung (chronic obstructivepulmonary disease); (29) normal spleen; (30) normal tonsil; (31) normallymph node; (32) normal thymus; (33) epithelial cells (from prostate);(34) aortic endothelial cells; (35) skeletal muscle; (36) dermalfibroblasts; (37) normal skin; (38) normal adipose tissue; (39) primaryosteoblasts; (40) undifferentiated osteoblasts; (41) differentiatedosteoblasts; (42) osteoclasts; (43) aortic smooth muscle cells (early);(44) aortic smooth muscle cells (late); (45) human umbilical veinendothelial cells (shear); and (46) human umbilical vein endothelialcells (static).

The expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA in various human vascularrich organs, namely (1) normal human heart; (2) normal human heart; (3)normal human heart; (4) normal human heart; (5) normal human heart; (6)normal human heart; (7) normal human heart; (8) normal human heart; (9)diseased human heart; (10) diseased human right ventricle; (11) diseasedhuman left ventricle; (12) normal monkey heart; (13) normal monkeyheart; (14) normal monkey heart; (15) normal human kidney; (16) normalhuman kidney; (17) normal human kidney; (18) normal human kidney; (19)normal human kidney; (20) human hypertensive kidney; (21) humanhypertensive kidney; (22) human hypertensive kidney; (23) humanhypertensive kidney; (24) human hypertensive kidney; (25) human liver;(26) human liver; (27) human liver; (28) human skeletal muscle; (29)human skeletal muscle; and (30) human skeletal muscle, was thendetermined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. These experiments demonstratedthat HEAT-2 is highly expressed in the heart.

In another experiment, the expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA invarious human and monkey vessels, namely (1) human adipose tissue; (2)human normal artery; (3) human normal artery; (4) human carotid artery;(5) human carodtid artery; (6) human normal artery; (7) human diseasedartery; (8) human diseased artery; (9) human diseased artery; (10) humannormal vein; (11) human normal vein; (12) human vein; (13) human vein;(14) human normal vein; (15) human varicose vein; (16) confluent humanmicrovascular endothelial cells; (17) human aortic smooth muscle cells;(18) monkey aorta; (19) monkey aorta; (20) monkey aorta; (21) monkeyartery; (22) monkey artery; (23) monkey renal artery; (24) monkey renalartery; (25) monkey renal artery; (26) monkey renal artery; (27) monkeyrenal artery; (28) monkey coronary artery; (29) monkey coronary artery;(30) monkey coronary artery; (31) monkey coronary artery; (32) monkeycoronary artery; (33) monkey coronary artery; and (34) monkey coronaryartery, was determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure and in situhybridization. These experiments demonstrated that HEAT-2 is highlyexpressed in vessels such as arteries and veins.

The expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA in various human coronaryvascular cell types, namely (1) aortic smooth muscle cells; (2) aorticsmooth muscle cells; (3) aortic smooth muscle cells; (4) aortic smoothmuscle cells; (5) coronary smooth muscle cells; (6) coronary smoothmuscle cells; (7) coronary smooth muscle cells; (8) coronary smoothmuscle cells; (9) macrophages; (10) macrophages treated with IFNγ; (11)macrophages treated with CD40; (12) macrophages treated with LPS; (13)umbilical vein endothelial cells; (14) microvascular endothelial cells;(15) aortic endothelial cells; (16) coronary artery endothelial cells;(17) coronary artery endothelial cells; (18) cortex renal epithelium;(19) renal proximal tubule epithelium; (20) mesangial cells; (21)skeletal muscle; (22) skeletal muscle; and (23) lung fibroblasts, wasalso determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. As determined by theseexperiments, HEAT-2 is highly expressed in coronary vascular smoothmuscle cells, as compared to other cell types.

The expression levels of human HEAT-2 mRNA in various human endothelialcell paradigms was determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. The samplestested include (1) umbilical vein endothelial cells (static); (2)umbilical vein endothelial cells (shear regulated); (3) umbilical veinendothelial cells (proliferating); (4) umbilical vein endothelial cells(confluent); (5) umbilical vein endothelial cells (without growth factortreatment); (6) umbilical vein endothelial cells (Interleukin-1stimulated); (7) microvascular endothelial cells (proliferating); (8)microvascular endothelial cells (confluent); (9) microvascularendothelial cells (proliferating); (10) microvascular endothelial cells(confluent); (11) microvascular endothelial cells (proliferating); (12)microvascular endothelial cells (confluent); (13) microvascularendothelial cells (without growth factor treatment); (14) coronarymicrovascular endothelial cells (proliferating); (15) coronarymicrovascular endothelial cells (confluent); (16) microvascularendothelial cells (5% serum plus growth factors); (17) microvascularendothelial cells (5% serum without growth factors); (18) microvascularendothelial cells (HEGF treated); (19) microvascular endothelial cells(VEGF treated); (20) microvascular endothelial cells (bFGF treated);(21) microvascular endothelial cells (IGF treated); (22) 293 cells; (23)umbilical vein endothelial cells (static 25 h); (24) umbilical veinendothelial cells (laminar shear stress); (25) umbilical veinendothelial cells (laminar shear stress+1 h up); (26) umbilical veinendothelial cells (laminar shear stress+1 h down); (27) umbilical veinendothelial cells (static 30 h); (28) umbilical vein endothelial cells(laminar shear stress); (29) umbilical vein endothelial cells (laminarshear stress+6 h up); (30) umbilical vein endothelial cells (static 30h); (31) umbilical vein endothelial cells (laminar shear stress); and(32) umbilical vein endothelial cells (laminar shear stress+6 h down).These experiments demonstrate that HEAT-2 is upregulated during shearand proliferation of endothelial cells. These data strongly link HEAT-2to a role in angiogenesis.

Human HEAT-2 was also shown to be upregulated during tube formation ofendothelial cells. The expression level of human HEAT-2 is 5-fold higherin the 5-hour Matrigel sample than in any other sample, indicating thatexpression is significantly induced during the process of capillary-liketube formation. There is also significantly higher expression inproliferating HMVECs than in confluent HMVECs grown on plastic. Theseresults indicate a pro-angiogenic function for human HEAT-2.

Human HEAT-2 mRNA expression was also detected by in situ hybridizationanalysis in human endothelial cells and myocytes in the heart and inendothelial cells and inflammatory cells in ApoE knockout mouse diseasedaortic roots.

HEAT-3

The expression levels of human HEAT-3 mRNA in various human and monkeycell types and tissues, namely (1) normal aorta; (2) normal fetal heart;(3) normal heart; (4) heart (congestive heart failure); (5) normal vein;(6) normal spinal cord; (7) normal brain cortex; (8) normal brainhypothalamus; (9) glial cells (astrocytes); (10) glioblastoma (brain);(11) normal breast; (12) breast tumor (infiltrating ductal carcinoma);(13) normal ovary; (14) ovarian tumor; (15) pancreas; (16) normalprostate; (17) prostate tumor; (18) normal colon; (19) colon tumor; (20)colon (inflammatory bowel disease); (21) normal kidney; (22) normalliver; (23) liver fibrosis; (24) normal fetal liver; (25) normal lung;(26) lung tumor; (27) lung (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); (28)normal spleen; (29) normal tonsil; (30) normal lymph node; (31) normalthymus; (32) epithelial cells (prostate); (33) endothelial cells(aortic); (34) normal skeletal muscle; (35) fibroblasts (dermal); (36)normal skin; (37) normal adipose tissue; (38) primary osteoblasts; (39)undifferentiated osteoblasts; (40) differentiated osteoblasts; (41)osteoclasts; (42) aortic smooth muscle cells (early); (43) aortic smoothmuscle cells (late); (44) umbilical vein endothelial cells (laminarshear stress); (45) umbilical vein endothelial cells (static); and (46)undifferentiated osteoclasts, was first determined using the TAQMAN™procedure. These results demonstrate that HEAT-3 is highly expressed incoronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells, prostate epithelial cells,pancreas, and brain (including cortex, hypothalamus, and glialcells/astrocytes).

The expression levels of human HEAT-3 mRNA in various human vascularrich organs, namely (1) normal heart; (2) normal heart; (3) normalheart; (4) normal heart; (5) normal heart; (6) normal heart; (7) normalheart; (8) normal heart; (9) diseased heart; (10) diseased rightventricle; (11) normal fetal heart; (12) normal kidney; (13) normalkidney; (14) normal kidney; (15) normal kidney; (16) normal kidney; (17)hypertensive kidney; (18) hypertensive kidney; (19) hypertensive kidney;(20) hypertensive kidney; (21) hypertensive kidney; (22) skeletalmuscle; (23) skeletal muscle; (24) skeletal muscle; (25) liver; (26)liver; (27) normal monkey heart; (28) normal monkey heart; (29) normalmonkey heart; (30) normal monkey heart; (31) smooth muscle cells (SMC);(32) confluent human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs); (33) Mhuman umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs); (34) human umbilicalvein endothelial cells (HUVECs)-vehicle; (35) M human amnioticendothelial cells (HAECs); and (36) human amniotic endothelial cells(HAECs)-vehicle, was then determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. Theseexperiments demonstrated that HEAT-3 is expressed in the heart, kidney,and skeletal muscle.

In another experiment, the expression levels of human HEAT-3 mRNA invarious vessels, namely (1) aortic smooth muscle cells; (2)microvascular endothelial cells; (3) adipose tissue; (4) normal artery;(5) normal artery; (6) normal artery; (7) diseased artery; (8) diseasedartery; (9) diseased aorta; (10) normal vein; (11) normal vein; (12)normal vein; (13) normal vein; (14) diseased vein; (15) normal vein;(16) normal vein; (17) normal vein; (18) LC smooth muscle cells; (19) LCsmooth muscle cells; (20) aortic smooth muscle cells; (21) humanmicrovascular endothelial cells; (22) normal human carotid artery; (23)normal human carotid artery; (24) normal human muscular artery; (25)human diseased iliac artery; (26) human diseased tibial artery; (27)human diseased aorta; (28) human normal saphenous vein; (29) humannormal saphenous vein; (30) human normal saphenous vein; (31) humannormal saphenous vein; (32) human diseased saphenous vein; (33) humannormal vein; and (34) human normal saphenous vein, was determined usingthe TAQMAN™ procedure. These experiments demonstrated that HEAT-3 ishighly expressed in vessels such as arteries and veins.

The expression levels of human HEAT-3 mRNA in various human coronaryvascular cell types, namely (1) aortic smooth muscle cells; (2) aorticsmooth muscle cells; (3) coronary smooth muscle cells; (4) coronarysmooth muscle cells; (5) coronary smooth muscle cells; (6) coronarysmooth muscle cells; (7) macrophages; (8) macrophages treated with IFNγ;(9) macrophages treated with CD40; (10) macrophages treated with LPS;(11) microvascular endothelial cells; (12) aortic endothelial cells;(13) coronary artery endothelial cells; (14) cortex renal epithelium;(15) renal proximal tubule epithelium; (16) mesangial cells; and (17)skeletal muscle, was also determined using the TAQMAN™ procedure. Theseexperiments demonstrate that HEAT-3 is highly expressed in coronary andaortic vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as in renal proximal tubuleepithelium, as compared to other cell types.

Tissue Distribution of HEAT mRNA Using In Situ Analysis

Using in situ hybridization analysis, HEAT-2 mRNA was found to beexpressed in human endothelial cells and myocytes in the heart and inendothelial cells and inflammatory cells in ApoE knockout mice diseasedaortic roots.

Assessment of Microvessel Contraction

The following describes the assessment of microvessel contraction usingrat microvessels, as described in, for example, Bischoff, A. et al.(2000) Br. J. Pharmacol. 130:1871-1877. Microvessels (e.g., mesentericor renal microvessels such as interlobar arteries) are prepared fromrats (e.g., adult Wistar rats) as described in Chen et al. (1996)Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 353:314-323 and Chen et al.(1997) J. Auton. Pharmacol. 17:137-146. Rats are killed by eitherdecapitation or an overdose of thiobutabarbitone. The vessels aremounted on 40 μm diameter stainless steel wires in a myograph chamberfor isometric recording of tension development. The vessels are thenbathed in Krebs-Henseleit buffer of the following composition: 119 mMNaCl, 25 mM NaHCO₃, 4.7 mM KCl, 1.18 mM KH₂PO₄, 1.17 mM MgSO₄, 2.5 mMCaCl₂, 0.026 mM EDTA, and 5.5 mM D-glucose. The buffer temperature ismaintained at 37° C., and the chamber is gassed with 5% CO2/95% O2 tomaintain a pH of 7.4. Additionally, 5 μM cocaine and 1 μM(±)-propranolol may be added to block neuronal catecholoamine uptake andβ-adrenoceptor activation by high noradrenaline concentration. Followingequilibration, the vessels are challenged several times with 125 mM KCland 10 μM noradrenaline. The vessels are then treated with 100 μMcarbachol; vessels with a relaxation response of at least 50% indicate afunctionally intact epithelium.

Assessment of Intracellular Free Calcium Concentrations in Cultured RatAortic Smooth Muscle Cells

The following describes the assessment of intracellular free calciumconcentrations in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells, as describedin, for example, Bischoff, A. et al. (2000) Br. J. Pharmacol.130:1871-1877. Vascular smooth muscle cells are prepared from ratthoracic aorta according to Rosskoph et al. (1995) Cell Physiol.Biochem. 5:276-285). Briefly, freshly prepared aortae are incubated for30 minutes at room temperature with 125 U/ml collagenase I in Hank'sbalanced salt solution (HBSS) of the following composition: 118 mM NaCl,5 mM KCl, 1 mM CaCl₂, 1 mM MgCl₂, 5 mM D-glucose, and 15 mM HEPES pH7.4. Thereafter, remaining connective tissue and endothelium areremoved, the aortae are cut into small pieces and incubated for 4-6hours at 37° C. in DMEM/F12 medium with 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 μg/mlstreptomycin, and 250 ng/ml amphotericin B. Treatment with collagenase(125 U/ml) and elastase (0.5 mg/ml) in HBSS without Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ followfor 2 hours at 37° C. The reaction is stopped by addition of DMEM/F12medium containing 20% fetal calf serum and penicillin, streptomycin, andamphotericin B, and the cells are plated onto 60-mm cell culture plates.The cells are used between passage 3 and 6. The Ca²⁺ concentrationmeasurements are performed as described in Meyer zu Heringdorf et al.(1996) Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 354:397-403. Briefly, thecells are loaded with 1 μM fura2/AM for 1 hour at room temperature inHBSS, washed with HBSS, and used for fluorescence measurements withinthe next hour. Ca²⁺ concentrations are measured in a continuouslystirred cell suspension at room temperature in a Hitachi F2000spectrofluorometer as described in Meyer zu Heringdorf et al. (1996)supra.

Calcium Transport Assay

The following describes the assessment of calcium transport by HEATmolecules in cultured COS-1 cells, as described in, for example,Maruyama, K. and MacLennan, D. H. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA85:3314-3318.

Cell Culture and DNA Transfection

COS-1 or HEK-293 cells are maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle'smedium (DMEM) with 0.1 mM α-MEM nonessential amino acids, 4 mML-glutamine, 100 units of penicillin per ml, 100 μg of streptomycin perml, and 10% fetal calf serum under 5% CO₂/95% air at 37° C. Transfectionof HEAT-containing DNA is carried out by the DEAE dextran-chloroquineshock method (Sompayrac, L. M. and Danna, K. J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 78:7575-7578; Gorman, C. (1985) in DNA Cloning: A PracticalApproach, ed. Gover, D. M. (IRL, Washington, D.C.), Vol. 2, pp. 143-190)with 25 μg of cesium chloride gradient-purified DNA and 1.5 mg of DEAEdextran per 10 cm Petri dish. Cells are then incubated for 3 hours at37° C. in 6 ml of DMEM containing 300 μg of chloroquine, washed, andcultured in DMEM for 48 or 72 hours. Control cells are treated in thesame way with vector DNA or with no added DNA.

Isolation of Microsomal Fraction

For isolation of a microsomal fraction (Resh, M. D. and Erikson, R. L.(1985) J. Cell Biol. 100:409-417; Yamada, S, and Ikemoto, N. (1980) J.Biol. Chem. 255:3108-3119), cells from five 10 cm Petri dishes arewashed twice with 5 ml of a solution of 0.137 M NaCl/2.7 mM KCl/8 mMNa₂HPO₄/1.5 mM KH₂PO₄ (PBS), harvested in a solution of 5 mM EDTA in PBSand washed with 5 ml of PBS. The cells are swollen at 0° C. for 10minutes in 2 ml of a hypotonic solution of 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5/0.5 mMMgCl₂, and then phenylmethylsolfonyl fluoride and Trasylol are added to0.1 mM and 100 units/ml, respectively. The cells are homogenized with 30strokes in a glass Dounce homogenizer, and the homogenate is dilutedwith an equal volume of a solution of 0.5 M sucrose/6 mM2-mercaptoenthanol, 40 μM CaCl₂/300 mM KCl/10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5. Thesuspension is centrifuged at 10,000×g for 20 minutes to pellet nucleiand mitochondria. The supernatant is brought to a concentration of 0.6 MKCl by the addition of 0.9 ml of a 2.5 M solution. The suspension iscentrifuged at 100,000×g for 60 minutes to sediment the microsomalfraction. The pellet is suspended in a solution containing 0.25 Msucrose, 0.15 M KCl, 3 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 20 μM CaCl₂, 10 mM Tris-HCl(pH 7.5), and centrifuged again at 100,000×g for 60 minutes. The finalpellet, containing approximately 100 μg of protein, is suspended in thesame solution at a protein concentration of 1 mg/ml.

Ca²⁺ Transport Assay

Ca²⁺ transport activity is assayed in a reaction mixture containing 20μM Mops-KOH (pH 6.8), 100 mM KCl, 5 mM CaCl₂, 5 mM ATP, 0.45 mM CaCl₂(containing ⁴⁵Ca at a specific activity of 10⁶ cpm/μmol), 0.5 mM EGTA,and 5 mM potassium oxalate. The uptake reaction is initiated by theaddition of 10 μg of microsomal protein to 1 ml of reaction mixture atroom temperature. At different time points, 0.15 ml samples are filteredthrough a 0.3 μm Millipore filter and washed with 10 ml of 0.15 M KCl.Radioactivity on the filter is measured by liquid scintillationcounting. For the measurement of Ca²⁺ ion dependency, free Ca²⁺concentration is calculated by the computer program of Fabiato andFabiato ((1979) J. Physiol. (London) 75:463-505). For the measurement ofATP dependency, an ATP regenerating system consisting of 2.5 mMphosphoenolpyruvate and 50 μg of pyruvate kinase per mM is used.

Measurement of Phosphorylated HEAT Intermediate

Microsomal protein (5 μg) is added to 0.1 ml of a solution of 20 mMMops, pH 6.8/100 mM KCl/5 mM MgCl₂/0.5 mM EGTA in the presence orabsence of 0.5 mM CaCl₂. The reaction, at ice temperature, is started bythe addition of 5 μM ATP (10⁶ cpm/nmol) and stopped after 5 seconds bythe addition of 0.6 ml of a mixture of 5% trichloroacetic acid and 5 mMpotassium phosphate. Incorporation of ³²P is determined either bycollecting the protein on a filter for scintillation counting or byseparating the protein in acidic NaDodSO₄/polyacrylamide gels forautoradiography Sarkadi, B. et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261:9552-9557).

Analysis of HEAT-3 Activity

The full-length HEAT-3 was inserted into the multiple cloning site inthe pCDNA3 vector. The DNA for the clone was amplified and transfectedinto HEK-293 cells using calcium phosphate precipitation. After 72hours, the cells were harvested, microsomal fractions isolated, and⁴⁵Ca-uptake measured as a function of calcium concentration using afilter assay.

Two different HEAT-3 fusion proteins were generated. One HEAT-3 fusionprotein was created by inserting the 3× Flag epitope at the 3′ end ofthe HEAT-3 gene. Another HEAT-3 fusion protein was created by insertingthe green fluorescent protein (GFP) at the 3′ end of the HEAT-3 gene.Fluorescence of this protein could be observed with the naked eye and byconfocal microscopy. Measurement of expression using Western blottingwith an anti-GFP antibody showed that HEAT-3 is well expressed in themicrosomal fraction.

Confocal microscopy showed that the expression pattern of HEAT-3 issimilar to SERCA1, indicating that HEAT-3 is targeted to and localizedin the endoplasmic reticulum of HEK-293 cells.

Ca²⁺ uptake experiments (as described above) were performed using boththe Flag and GFP fusion proteins. An increase in Ca²⁺ uptake of HEAT-3was shown over GFP vector alone. Five independent experiments wereperformed to confirm the increase of calcium uptake with HEAT-3 ascompared to vector alone. The Flag fusion protein showed an increase ofcalcium uptake as compared to Flag vector alone. In these experiments,the Vmax for HEAT-3 was lower (about 20×) than the Vmax for SERCA1 underthe same conditions. The KCa for HEAT-3 was about 6.00 pCa units, ascompared with about 6.38 pCa units for SERCA1. In the presence of ATP,there is 2-3 fold more calcium uptake compared to uptake in the absenceof ATP, indicating that the calcium uptake by HEAT-3 is ATP dependent.

DEFINITIONS

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, fragments thereof, and derivatives andother variants of the sequence in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36,40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 thereof are collectively referred to as“polypeptides or proteins of the invention” or “25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptides or proteins”. Nucleic acid molecules encoding suchpolypeptides or proteins are collectively referred to as “nucleic acidsof the invention” or “25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acids.”

As used herein, the term “nucleic acid molecule” includes DNA molecules(e.g., a cDNA or genomic DNA) and RNA molecules (e.g., an mRNA) andanalogs of the DNA or RNA generated, e.g., by the use of nucleotideanalogs. The nucleic acid molecule can be single-stranded ordouble-stranded, but preferably is double-stranded DNA.

The term “isolated or purified nucleic acid molecule” includes nucleicacid molecules which are separated from other nucleic acid moleculeswhich are present in the natural source of the nucleic acid. Forexample, with regards to genomic DNA, the term “isolated” includesnucleic acid molecules which are separated from the chromosome withwhich the genomic DNA is naturally associated. Preferably, an “isolated”nucleic acid is free of sequences which naturally flank the nucleic acid(i.e., sequences located at the 5′ and/or 3′ ends of the nucleic acid)in the genomic DNA of the organism from which the nucleic acid isderived. For example, in various embodiments, the isolated nucleic acidmolecule can contain less than about 5 kb, 4 kb, 3 kb, 2 kb, 1 kb, 0.5kb or 0.1 kb of 5′ and/or 3′ nucleotide sequences which naturally flankthe nucleic acid molecule in genomic DNA of the cell from which thenucleic acid is derived. Moreover, an “isolated” nucleic acid molecule,such as a cDNA molecule, can be substantially free of other cellularmaterial or culture medium when produced by recombinant techniques, orsubstantially free of chemical precursors or other chemicals whenchemically synthesized.

As used herein, the term “hybridizes under low stringency, mediumstringency, high stringency, or very high stringency conditions”describes conditions for hybridization and washing. Guidance forperforming hybridization reactions can be found in Current Protocols inMolecular Biology (1989) John Wiley & Sons, N.Y., 6.3.1-6.3.6, which isincorporated by reference. Aqueous and nonaqueous methods are describedin that reference and either can be used. Specific hybridizationconditions referred to herein are as follows: 1) low stringencyhybridization conditions in 6× sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC) atabout 45° C., followed by two washes in 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at least at50° C. (the temperature of the washes can be increased to 55° C. for lowstringency conditions); 2) medium stringency hybridization conditions in6×SSC at about 45° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.2×SSC, 0.1%SDS at 60° C.; 3) high stringency hybridization conditions in 6×SSC atabout 45° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65°C.; and preferably 4) very high stringency hybridization conditions are0.5M sodium phosphate, 7% SDS at 65° C., followed by one or more washesat 0.2×SSC, 1% SDS at 65° C. Very high stringency conditions (4) are thepreferred conditions and the ones that should be used unless otherwisespecified.

As used herein, a “naturally-occurring” nucleic acid molecule refers toan RNA or DNA molecule having a nucleotide sequence that occurs innature (e.g., encodes a natural protein).

As used herein, the terms “gene” and “recombinant gene” refer to nucleicacid molecules which include an open reading frame encoding a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein, preferably a mammalian 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, and canfurther include non-coding regulatory sequences, and introns.

An “isolated” or “purified” polypeptide or protein is substantially freeof cellular material or other contaminating proteins from the cell ortissue source from which the protein is derived, or substantially freefrom chemical precursors or other chemicals when chemically synthesized.In one embodiment, the language “substantially free” means preparationof 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein having less than about 30%, 20%, 10% and morepreferably 5% (by dry weight), of non-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein (also referredto herein as a “contaminating protein”), or of chemical precursors ornon-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 chemicals. When the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein orbiologically active portion thereof is recombinantly produced, it isalso preferably substantially free of culture medium, i.e., culturemedium represents less than about 20%, more preferably less than about10%, and most preferably less than about 5% of the volume of the proteinpreparation. The invention includes isolated or purified preparations ofat least 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 milligrams in dry weight.

A “non-essential” amino acid residue is a residue that can be alteredfrom the wild-type sequence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 (e.g., the sequence of SEQ IDNO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44,63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72) without abolishing or more preferably, withoutsubstantially altering a biological activity, whereas an “essential”amino acid residue results in such a change. For example, amino acidresidues that are conserved among the polypeptides of the presentinvention, e.g., those present in the conserved domains, are predictedto be particularly unamenable to alteration.

A “conservative amino acid substitution” is one in which the amino acidresidue is replaced with an amino acid residue having a similar sidechain. Families of amino acid residues having similar side chains havebeen defined in the art. These families include amino acids with basicside chains (e.g., lysine, arginine, histidine), acidic side chains(e.g., aspartic acid, glutamic acid), uncharged polar side chains (e.g.,glycine, asparagine, glutamine, serine, threonine, tyrosine, cysteine),nonpolar side chains (e.g., alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine,proline, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan), beta-branched sidechains (e.g., threonine, valine, isoleucine) and aromatic side chains(e.g., tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, histidine). Thus, apredicted nonessential amino acid residue in a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinis preferably replaced with another amino acid residue from the sameside chain family. Alternatively, in another embodiment, mutations canbe introduced randomly along all or part of a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 codingsequence, such as by saturation mutagenesis, and the resultant mutantscan be screened for 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 biological activity to identifymutants that retain activity. Following mutagenesis of SEQ ID NO:1, 3,7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65,67, 69, 70 or 72, the encoded protein can be expressed recombinantly andthe activity of the protein can be determined.

As used herein, a “biologically active portion” of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein includes a fragment of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein whichparticipates in an interaction between a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecule and anon-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecule. Biologically active portions of a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein include peptides comprising amino acid sequencessufficiently homologous to or derived from the amino acid sequence ofthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, e.g., the amino acid sequence shown inSEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, which includefewer amino acids than the full length 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, andexhibit at least one activity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. Typically,biologically active portions comprise a domain or motif with at leastone activity of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. A biologically activeportion of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can be a polypeptide which is, forexample, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 or more amino acids in length.Biologically active portions of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can be used astargets for developing agents which modulate a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mediatedactivity.

The term “family” when referring to the protein and nucleic acidmolecules of the invention is intended to mean two or more proteins ornucleic acid molecules having a common structural domain or motif andhaving sufficient amino acid or nucleotide sequence homology as definedherein. Such family members can be naturally or non-naturally occurringand can be from either the same or different species. For example, afamily can contain a first protein of human origin as well as otherdistinct proteins of human origin or alternatively, can containhomologues of non-human origin, e.g., rat or mouse proteins. Members ofa family can also have common functional characteristics.

Calculations of homology or sequence identity (the terms “homology” and“identity” are used interchangeably herein) between sequences areperformed as follows:

To determine the percent identity of two amino acid sequences, or of twonucleic acid sequences, the sequences are aligned for optimal comparisonpurposes (e.g., gaps can be introduced in one or both of a first and asecond amino acid or nucleic acid sequence for optimal alignment andnon-homologous sequences can be disregarded for comparison purposes). Ina preferred embodiment, the length of a reference sequence aligned forcomparison purposes is at least 30%, preferably at least 40%, morepreferably at least 50%, even more preferably at least 60%, and evenmore preferably at least 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% of the length of thereference sequence. The amino acid residues or nucleotides atcorresponding amino acid positions or nucleotide positions are thencompared. When a position in the first sequence is occupied by the sameamino acid residue or nucleotide as the corresponding position in thesecond sequence, then the molecules are identical at that position (asused herein amino acid or nucleic acid “identity” is equivalent to aminoacid or nucleic acid “homology”). The percent identity between the twosequences is a function of the number of identical positions shared bythe sequences, taking into account the number of gaps, and the length ofeach gap, which need to be introduced for optimal alignment of the twosequences.

The comparison of sequences and determination of percent identitybetween two sequences can be accomplished using a mathematicalalgorithm. In a preferred embodiment, the percent identity between twoamino acid sequences is determined using the Needleman and Wunsch (1970)J. Mol. Biol. 48:444-453 algorithm which has been incorporated into theGAP program in the GCG software package using either a Blossum 62 matrixor a PAM250 matrix, and a gap weight of 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, or 4 and alength weight of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In yet another preferredembodiment, the percent identity between two nucleotide sequences isdetermined using the GAP program in the GCG software package using aNWSgapdna.CMP matrix and a gap weight of 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 and alength weight of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. A particularly preferred set ofparameters (and the one that should be used if the practitioner isuncertain about what parameters should be applied to determine if amolecule is within a sequence identity or homology limitation of theinvention) are a Blossum 62 scoring matrix with a gap penalty of 12, agap extend penalty of 4, and a frameshift gap penalty of 5.

The percent identity between two amino acid or nucleotide sequences canbe determined using the algorithm of Meyers and Miller ((1989) CABIOS,4:11-17) which has been incorporated into the ALIGN program (version2.0), using a PAM120 weight residue table, a gap length penalty of 12and a gap penalty of 4.

The nucleic acid and protein sequences described herein can be used as a“query sequence” to perform a search against public databases to, forexample, identify other family members or related sequences. Suchsearches can be performed using the NBLAST and XBLAST programs (version2.0) of Altschul et al. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-10. BLASTnucleotide searches can be performed with the NBLAST program, score=100,wordlength=12 to obtain nucleotide sequences homologous to 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleic acid molecules of the invention. BLAST protein searches can beperformed with the XBLAST program, score=50, wordlength=3 to obtainamino acid sequences homologous to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein molecules ofthe invention. To obtain gapped alignments for comparison purposes,Gapped BLAST can be utilized as described in Altschul et al., (1997)Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402. When utilizing BLAST and Gapped BLASTprograms, the default parameters of the respective programs (e.g.,XBLAST and NBLAST) can be used.

Particular 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptides of the present invention havean amino acid sequence substantially identical to the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71. Inthe context of an amino acid sequence, the term “substantiallyidentical” is used herein to refer to a first amino acid that contains asufficient or minimum number of amino acid residues that are i)identical to, or ii) conservative substitutions of aligned amino acidresidues in a second amino acid sequence such that the first and secondamino acid sequences can have a common structural domain and/or commonfunctional activity. For example, amino acid sequences that contain acommon structural domain having at least about 60%, or 65% identity,likely 75% identity, more likely 85%, 90%. 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%,97%, 98% or 99% identity to SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43,64, 68 or 71 are termed substantially identical.

In the context of nucleotide sequence, the term “substantiallyidentical” is used herein to refer to a first nucleic acid sequence thatcontains a sufficient or minimum number of nucleotides that areidentical to aligned nucleotides in a second nucleic acid sequence suchthat the first and second nucleotide sequences encode a polypeptidehaving common functional activity, or encode a common structuralpolypeptide domain or a common functional polypeptide activity. Forexample, nucleotide sequences having at least about 60%, or 65%identity, likely 75% identity, more likely 85%, 90%. 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%,95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% identity to SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20,22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72 aretermed substantially identical.

“Misexpression or aberrant expression”, as used herein, refers to anon-wild type pattern of gene expression, at the RNA or protein level.It includes: expression at non-wild type levels, i.e., over or underexpression; a pattern of expression that differs from wild type in termsof the time or stage at which the gene is expressed, e.g., increased ordecreased expression (as compared with wild type) at a predetermineddevelopmental period or stage; a pattern of expression that differs fromwild type in terms of decreased expression (as compared with wild type)in a predetermined cell type or tissue type; a pattern of expressionthat differs from wild type in terms of the splicing size, amino acidsequence, post-transitional modification, or biological activity of theexpressed polypeptide; a pattern of expression that differs from wildtype in terms of the effect of an environmental stimulus orextracellular stimulus on expression of the gene, e.g., a pattern ofincreased or decreased expression (as compared with wild type) in thepresence of an increase or decrease in the strength of the stimulus.

“Subject”, as used herein, can refer to a mammal, e.g., a human, or toan experimental or animal or disease model. The subject can also be anon-human animal, e.g., a horse, cow, goat, or other domestic animal.

A “purified preparation of cells”, as used herein, refers to, in thecase of plant or animal cells, an in vitro preparation of cells and notan entire intact plant or animal. In the case of cultured cells ormicrobial cells, it consists of a preparation of at least 10% and morepreferably 50% of the subject cells.

As used herein, cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disordersinclude cancer, e.g., carcinoma, sarcoma, metastatic disorders orhematopoietic neoplastic disorders, e.g., leukemias. A metastatic tumorcan arise from a multitude of primary tumor types, including but notlimited to those of prostate, colon, lung, breast and liver origin.

As used herein, the term “cancer” (also used interchangeably with theterms, “hyperproliferative” and “neoplastic”) refers to cells having thecapacity for autonomous growth, i.e., an abnormal state or conditioncharacterized by rapidly proliferating cell growth. Cancerous diseasestates may be categorized as pathologic, i.e., characterizing orconstituting a disease state, e.g., malignant tumor growth, or may becategorized as non-pathologic, i.e., a deviation from normal but notassociated with a disease state, e.g., cell proliferation associatedwith wound repair. The term is meant to include all types of cancerousgrowths or oncogenic processes, metastatic tissues or malignantlytransformed cells, tissues, or organs, irrespective of histopathologictype or stage of invasiveness. The term “cancer” includes malignanciesof the various organ systems, such as those affecting lung, breast,thyroid, lymphoid, gastrointestinal, and genito-urinary tract, as wellas adenocarcinomas which include malignancies such as most coloncancers, renal-cell carcinoma, prostate cancer and/or testicular tumors,non-small cell carcinoma of the lung, cancer of the small intestine andcancer of the esophagus. The term “carcinoma” is art recognized andrefers to malignancies of epithelial or endocrine tissues includingrespiratory system carcinomas, gastrointestinal system carcinomas,genitourinary system carcinomas, testicular carcinomas, breastcarcinomas, prostatic carcinomas, endocrine system carcinomas, andmelanomas. Exemplary carcinomas include those forming from tissue of thecervix, lung, prostate, breast, head and neck, colon and ovary. The term“carcinoma” also includes carcinosarcomas, e.g., which include malignanttumors composed of carcinomatous and sarcomatous tissues. An“adenocarcinoma” refers to a carcinoma derived from glandular tissue orin which the tumor cells form recognizable glandular structures. Theterm “sarcoma” is art recognized and refers to malignant tumors ofmesenchymal derivation.

Examples of cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disorders ofthe lung include, but are not limited to, tumors such as bronchogeniccarcinoma, including paraneoplastic syndromes, bronchioloalveolarcarcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, such as bronchial carcinoid,miscellaneous tumors, metastatic tumors, and pleural tumors, includingsolitary fibrous tumors (pleural fibroma) and malignant mesothelioma.

Examples of cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disorders ofthe breast include, but are not limited to, proliferative breast diseaseincluding, e.g., epithelial hyperplasia, sclerosing adenosis, and smallduct papillomas; tumors, e.g., stromal tumors such as fibroadenoma,phyllodes tumor, and sarcomas, and epithelial tumors such as large ductpapilloma; carcinoma of the breast including in situ (noninvasive)carcinoma that includes ductal carcinoma in situ (including Paget'sdisease) and lobular carcinoma in situ, and invasive (infiltrating)carcinoma including, but not limited to, invasive ductal carcinoma,invasive lobular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, colloid (mucinous)carcinoma, tubular carcinoma, and invasive papillary carcinoma, andmiscellaneous malignant neoplasms. Disorders in the male breast include,but are not limited to, gynecomastia and carcinoma.

Examples of cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disordersinvolving the colon include, but are not limited to, tumors of thecolon, such as non-neoplastic polyps, adenomas, familial syndromes,colorectal carcinogenesis, colorectal carcinoma, and carcinoid tumors.

Examples of cancers or neoplastic conditions, in addition to the onesdescribed above, include, but are not limited to, a fibrosarcoma,myosarcoma, liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, chordoma,angiosarcoma, endotheliosarcoma, lymphangiosarcoma,lymphangioendotheliosarcoma, synovioma, mesothelioma, Ewing's tumor,leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer,rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer,uterine cancer, cancer of the head and neck, skin cancer, brain cancer,squamous cell carcinoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, papillary carcinoma,papillary adenocarcinoma, cystadenocarcinoma, medullary carcinoma,bronchogenic carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, hepatoma, bile ductcarcinoma, choriocarcinoma, seminoma, embryonal carcinoma, Wilm's tumor,cervical cancer, testicular cancer, small cell lung carcinoma, non-smallcell lung carcinoma, bladder carcinoma, epithelial carcinoma, glioma,astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, pinealoma,hemangioblastoma, acoustic neuroma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma,melanoma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, leukemia, lymphoma, or Kaposisarcoma.

Other disorders related to angiogenesis and which may, therefore, betreated using the molecules described herein, include diabeticretinopathy, neovascularization (e.g., intraocular neovascularization),psoriasis, endometriosis, Grave's disease, ischemic disease, chronicinflammatory diseases, macular degeneration, neovascular glaucoma,retinal fibroplasia, uveitis, eye diseases associated with choroidalneovascularization and iris neovascularization, hereditary hemorrhagictelangiectasia, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, idiopathicpulmonary fibrosis, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease,synovitis, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), Alagillesyndrome, Knobloch syndrome, disseminated lymphangiomatosis, toxicepidermal necrolysis, Von Hippel Lindau disease (VHL), microbial-relateddysplastic and neoplastic angiomatous proliferative processes (e.g.,verruga peruana (VP)), Proteus syndrome (PS), Castleman's disease, andKlippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome.

Proliferative disorders include hematopoietic neoplastic disorders. Asused herein, the term “hematopoietic neoplastic disorders” includesdiseases involving hyperplastic/neoplastic cells of hematopoieticorigin, e.g., arising from myeloid, lymphoid or erythroid lineages, orprecursor cells thereof. Preferably, the diseases arise from poorlydifferentiated acute leukemias, e.g., erythroblastic leukemia and acutemegakaryoblastic leukemia. Additional exemplary myeloid disordersinclude, but are not limited to, acute promyeloid leukemia (APML), acutemyelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)(reviewed in Vaickus (1991) Crit Rev. in Oncol./Hemotol. 11:267-97);lymphoid malignancies include, but are not limited to acutelymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) which includes B-lineage ALL and T-lineageALL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL),hairy cell leukemia (HLL) and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM).Additional forms of malignant lymphomas include, but are not limited tonon-Hodgkin lymphoma and variants thereof, peripheral T cell lymphomas,adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL),large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGF), Hodgkin's disease andReed-Sternberg disease.

As used herein, disorders involving the brain include, but are notlimited to, disorders involving neurons, and disorders involving glia,such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, and microglia;cerebral edema, raised intracranial pressure and herniation, andhydrocephalus; malformations and developmental diseases, such as neuraltube defects, forebrain anomalies, posterior fossa anomalies, andsyringomyelia and hydromyelia; perinatal brain injury; cerebrovasculardiseases, such as those related to hypoxia, ischemia, and infarction,including hypotension, hypoperfusion, and low-flow states—globalcerebral ischemia and focal cerebral ischemia—infarction fromobstruction of local blood supply, intracranial hemorrhage, includingintracerebral (intraparenchymal) hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage andruptured berry aneurysms, and vascular malformations, hypertensivecerebrovascular disease, including lacunar infarcts, slit hemorrhages,and hypertensive encephalopathy; infections, such as acute meningitis,including acute pyogenic (bacterial) meningitis and acute aseptic(viral) meningitis, acute focal suppurative infections, including brainabscess, subdural empyema, and extradural abscess, chronic bacterialmeningoencephalitis, including tuberculosis and mycobacterioses,neurosyphilis, and neuroborreliosis (Lyme disease), viralmeningoencephalitis, including arthropod-bome (Arbo) viral encephalitis,Herpes simplex virus Type 1, Herpes simplex virus Type 2,Varicella-zoster virus (Herpes zoster), cytomegalovirus, poliomyelitis,rabies, and human immunodeficiency virus 1, including HIV-1meningoencephalitis (subacute encephalitis), vacuolar myelopathy,AIDS-associated myopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and AIDS in children,progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, subacute sclerosingpanencephalitis, fungal meningoencephalitis, other infectious diseasesof the nervous system; transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (priondiseases); demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis,multiple sclerosis variants, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis andacute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalomyelitis, and other diseases withdemyelination; degenerative diseases, such as degenerative diseasesaffecting the cerebral cortex, including Alzheimer disease and Pickdisease, degenerative diseases of basal ganglia and brain stem,including Parkinsonism, idiopathic Parkinson disease (paralysisagitans), progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degenration,multiple system atrophy, including striatonigral degenration, Shy-Dragersyndrome, and olivopontocerebellar atrophy, and Huntington disease;spinocerebellar degenerations, including spinocerebellar ataxias,including Friedreich ataxia, and ataxia-telanglectasia, degenerativediseases affecting motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateralsclerosis (motor neuron disease), bulbospinal atrophy (Kennedysyndrome), and spinal muscular atrophy; inborn errors of metabolism,such as leukodystrophies, including Krabbe disease, metachromaticleukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, andCanavan disease, mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, including Leighdisease and other mitochondrial encephalomyopathies; toxic and acquiredmetabolic diseases, including vitamin deficiencies such as thiamine(vitamin B₁) deficiency and vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, neurologic sequelaeof metabolic disturbances, including hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, andhepatic encephatopathy, toxic disorders, including carbon monoxide,methanol, ethanol, and radiation, including combined methotrexate andradiation-induced injury; tumors, such as gliomas, includingastrocytoma, including fibrillary (diffuse) astrocytoma and glioblastomamultiforme, pilocytic astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, andbrain stem glioma, oligodendroglioma, and ependymoma and relatedparaventricular mass lesions, neuronal tumors, poorly differentiatedneoplasms, including medulloblastoma, other parenchymal tumors,including primary brain lymphoma, germ cell tumors, and pinealparenchymal tumors, meningiomas, metastatic tumors, paraneoplasticsyndromes, peripheral nerve sheath tumors, including schwannoma,neurofibroma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (malignantschwannoma), and neurocutaneous syndromes (phakomatoses), includingneurofibromotosis, including Type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1) and TYPE 2neurofibromatosis (NF2), tuberous sclerosis, and Von Hippel-Lindaudisease.

As used herein, neurological disorders include disorders of the centralnervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system, e.g., cognitiveand neurodegenerative disorders, Examples of neurological disordersinclude, but are not limited to, autonomic function disorders such ashypertension and sleep disorders, and neuropsychiatric disorders, suchas depression, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, Korsakoff'spsychosis, alcoholism, anxiety disorders, or phobic disorders; learningor memory disorders, e.g., amnesia or age-related memory loss, attentiondeficit disorder, dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, mania,obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychoactive substance use disorders,anxiety, phobias, panic disorder, as well as bipolar affective disorder,e.g., severe bipolar affective (mood) disorder (BP-1), and bipolaraffective neurological disorders, e.g., migraine and obesity. Suchneurological disorders include, for example, disorders involvingneurons, and disorders involving glia, such as astrocytes,oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, and microglia; cerebral edema, raisedintracranial pressure and herniation, and hydrocephalus; malformationsand developmental diseases, such as neural tube defects, forebrainanomalies, posterior fossa anomalies, and syringomyelia and hydromyelia;perinatal brain injury; cerebrovascular diseases, such as those relatedto hypoxia, ischemia, and infarction, including hypotension,hypoperfusion, and low-flow states—global cerebral ischemia and focalcerebral ischemia—infarction from obstruction of local blood supply,intracranial hemorrhage, including intracerebral (intraparenchymal)hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage and ruptured berry aneurysms, andvascular malformations, hypertensive cerebrovascular disease, includinglacunar infarcts, slit hemorrhages, and hypertensive encephalopathy;infections, such as acute meningitis, including acute pyogenic(bacterial) meningitis and acute aseptic (viral) meningitis, acute focalsuppurative infections, including brain abscess, subdural empyema, andextradural abscess, chronic bacterial meningoencephalitis, includingtuberculosis and mycobacterioses, neurosyphilis, and neuroborreliosis(Lyme disease), viral meningoencephalitis, including arthropod-borne(Arbo) viral encephalitis, Herpes simplex virus Type 1, Herpes simplexvirus Type 2, Varicella-zoster virus (Herpes zoster), cytomegalovirus,poliomyelitis, rabies, and human immunodeficiency virus 1, includingHIV-1 meningoencephalitis (subacute encephalitis), vacuolar myelopathy,AIDS-associated myopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and AIDS in children,progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, subacute sclerosingpanencephalitis, fungal meningoencephalitis, other infectious diseasesof the nervous system; transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (priondiseases); demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis,multiple sclerosis variants, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis andacute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalomyelitis, and other diseases withdemyelination; degenerative diseases, such as degenerative diseasesaffecting the cerebral cortex, including Alzheimer's disease and Pick'sdisease, degenerative diseases of basal ganglia and brain stem,including Parkinsonism, idiopathic Parkinson's disease (paralysisagitans) and other Lewy diffuse body diseases, progressive supranuclearpalsy, corticobasal degenration, multiple system atrophy, includingstriatonigral degenration, Shy-Drager syndrome, and olivopontocerebellaratrophy, and Huntington's disease, senile dementia, Gilles de laTourette's syndrome, epilepsy, and Jakob-Creutzfieldt disease;spinocerebellar degenerations, including spinocerebellar ataxias,including Friedreich ataxia, and ataxia-telanglectasia, degenerativediseases affecting motor neurons, including amyotrophic lateralsclerosis (motor neuron disease), bulbospinal atrophy (Kennedysyndrome), and spinal muscular atrophy; inborn errors of metabolism,such as leukodystrophies, including Krabbe disease, metachromaticleukodystrophy, adrenoleukodystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, andCanavan disease, mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, including Leighdisease and other mitochondrial encephalomyopathies; toxic and acquiredmetabolic diseases, including vitamin deficiencies such as thiamine(vitamin B₁) deficiency and vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, neurologic sequelaeof metabolic disturbances, including hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, andhepatic encephatopathy, toxic disorders, including carbon monoxide,methanol, ethanol, and radiation, including combined methotrexate andradiation-induced injury; tumors, such as gliomas, includingastrocytoma, including fibrillary (diffuse) astrocytoma and glioblastomamultiforme, pilocytic astrocytoma, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, andbrain stem glioma, oligodendroglioma, and ependymoma and relatedparaventricular mass lesions, neuronal tumors, poorly differentiatedneoplasms, including medulloblastoma, other parenchymal tumors,including primary brain lymphoma, germ cell tumors, and pinealparenchymal tumors, meningiomas, metastatic tumors, paraneoplasticsyndromes, peripheral nerve sheath tumors, including schwannoma,neurofibroma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (malignantschwannoma), and neurocutaneous syndromes (phakomatoses), includingneurofibromotosis, including Type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1) and TYPE 2neurofibromatosis (NF2), tuberous sclerosis, and Von Hippel-Lindaudisease. Further CNS-related disorders include, for example, thoselisted in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic andStatistical manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the most current versionof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As used herein, disorders involving blood vessels include, but are notlimited to, responses of vascular cell walls to injury, such asendothelial dysfunction and endothelial activation and intimalthickening; vascular diseases including, but not limited to, congenitalanomalies, such as arteriovenous fistula, atherosclerosis, andhypertensive vascular disease, such as hypertension; inflammatorydisease—the vasculitides, such as giant cell (temporal) arteritis,Takayasu arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa (classic), Kawasaki syndrome(mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome), microscopic polyanglitis(microscopic polyarteritis, hypersensitivity or leukocytoclasticanglitis), Wegener granulomatosis, thromboanglitis obliterans (Buergerdisease), vasculitis associated with other disorders, and infectiousarteritis; Raynaud disease; aneurysms and dissection, such as abdominalaortic aneurysms, syphilitic (luetic) aneurysms, and aortic dissection(dissecting hematoma); disorders of veins and lymphatics, such asvaricose veins, thrombophlebitis and phlebothrombosis, obstruction ofsuperior vena cava (superior vena cava syndrome), obstruction ofinferior vena cava (inferior vena cava syndrome), and lymphangitis andlymphedema; tumors, including benign tumors and tumor-like conditions,such as hemangioma, lymphangioma, glomus tumor (glomangioma), vascularectasias, and bacillary angiomatosis, and intermediate-grade (borderlinelow-grade malignant) tumors, such as Kaposi sarcoma andhemangloendothelioma, and malignant tumors, such as angiosarcoma andhemangiopericytoma; and pathology of therapeutic interventions invascular disease, such as balloon angioplasty and related techniques andvascular replacement, such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

As used herein, disorders of the breast include, but are not limited to,disorders of development; inflammations, including but not limited to,acute mastitis, periductal mastitis, periductal mastitis (recurrentsubareolar abscess, squamous metaplasia of lactiferous ducts), mammaryduct ectasia, fat necrosis, granulomatous mastitis, and pathologiesassociated with silicone breast implants; fibrocystic changes;proliferative breast disease including, but not limited to, epithelialhyperplasia, sclerosing adenosis, and small duct papillomas; tumorsincluding, but not limited to, stromal tumors such as fibroadenoma,phyllodes tumor, and sarcomas, and epithelial tumors such as large ductpapilloma; carcinoma of the breast including in situ (noninvasive)carcinoma that includes ductal carcinoma in situ (including Paget'sdisease) and lobular carcinoma in situ, and invasive (infiltrating)carcinoma including, but not limited to, invasive ductal carcinoma, nospecial type, invasive lobular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, colloid(mucinous) carcinoma, tubular carcinoma, and invasive papillarycarcinoma, and miscellaneous malignant neoplasms. Disorders in the malebreast include, but are not limited to, gynecomastia and carcinoma.

As used herein, disorders involving the colon include, but are notlimited to, congenital anomalies, such as atresia and stenosis, Meckeldiverticulum, congenital aganglionic megacolon-Hirschsprung disease;enterocolitis, such as diarrhea and dysentery, infectious enterocolitis,including viral gastroenteritis, bacterial enterocolitis, necrotizingenterocolitis, antibiotic-associated colitis (pseudomembranous colitis),and collagenous and lymphocytic colitis, miscellaneous intestinalinflammatory disorders, including parasites and protozoa, acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome, transplantation, drug-induced intestinalinjury, radiation enterocolitis, neutropenic colitis (typhlitis), anddiversion colitis; idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohndisease and ulcerative colitis; tumors of the colon, such asnon-neoplastic polyps, adenomas, familial syndromes, colorectalcarcinogenesis, colorectal carcinoma, and carcinoid tumors.

As used herein, disorders involving the kidney include, but are notlimited to, congenital anomalies including, but not limited to, cysticdiseases of the kidney, that include but are not limited to, cysticrenal dysplasia, autosomal dominant (adult) polycystic kidney disease,autosomal recessive (childhood) polycystic kidney disease, and cysticdiseases of renal medulla, which include, but are not limited to,medullary sponge kidney, and nephronophthisis-uremic medullary cysticdisease complex, acquired (dialysis-associated) cystic disease, such assimple cysts; glomerular diseases including pathologies of glomerularinjury that include, but are not limited to, in situ immune complexdeposition, that includes, but is not limited to, anti-GBM nephritis,Heymann nephritis, and antibodies against planted antigens, circulatingimmune complex nephritis, antibodies to glomerular cells, cell-mediatedimmunity in glomerulonephritis, activation of alternative complementpathway, epithelial cell injury, and pathologies involving mediators ofglomerular injury including cellular and soluble mediators, acuteglomerulonephritis, such as acute proliferative (poststreptococcal,postinfectious) glomerulonephritis, including but not limited to,poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis and nonstreptococcal acuteglomerulonephritis, rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis,nephrotic syndrome, membranous glomerulonephritis (membranousnephropathy), minimal change disease (lipoid nephrosis), focal segmentalglomerulosclerosis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, IgAnephropathy (Berger disease), focal proliferative and necrotizingglomerulonephritis (focal glomerulonephritis), hereditary nephritis,including but not limited to, Alport syndrome and thin membrane disease(benign familial hematuria), chronic glomerulonephritis, glomerularlesions associated with systemic disease, including but not limited to,systemic lupus erythematosus, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, bacterialendocarditis, diabetic glomerulosclerosis, amyloidosis, fibrillary andimmunotactoid glomerulonephritis, and other systemic disorders; diseasesaffecting tubules and interstitium, including acute tubular necrosis andtubulointerstitial nephritis, including but not limited to,pyelonephritis and urinary tract infection, acute pyelonephritis,chronic pyelonephritis and reflux nephropathy, and tubulointerstitialnephritis induced by drugs and toxins, including but not limited to,acute drug-induced interstitial nephritis, analgesic abuse nephropathy,nephropathy associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, andother tubulointerstitial diseases including, but not limited to, uratenephropathy, hypercalcemia and nephrocalcinosis, and multiple myeloma;diseases of blood vessels including benign nephrosclerosis, malignanthypertension and accelerated nephrosclerosis, renal artery stenosis, andthrombotic microangiopathies including, but not limited to, classic(childhood) hemolytic-uremic syndrome, adult hemolytic-uremicsyndrome/thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, idiopathic HUS/TTP, andother vascular disorders including, but not limited to, atheroscleroticischemic renal disease, atheroembolic renal disease, sickle cell diseasenephropathy, diffuse cortical necrosis, and renal infarcts; urinarytract obstruction (obstructive uropathy); urolithiasis (renal calculi,stones); and tumors of the kidney including, but not limited to, benigntumors, such as renal papillary adenoma, renal fibroma or hamartoma(renomedullary interstitial cell tumor), angiomyolipoma, and oncocytoma,and malignant tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (hypemephroma,adenocarcinoma of kidney), which includes urothelial carcinomas of renalpelvis.

Examples of disorders of the lung include, but are not limited to,congenital anomalies; atelectasis; diseases of vascular origin, such aspulmonary congestion and edema, including hemodynamic pulmonary edemaand edema caused by microvascular injury, adult respiratory distresssyndrome (diffuse alveolar damage), pulmonary embolism, hemorrhage, andinfarction, and pulmonary hypertension and vascular sclerosis; chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis,bronchial asthma, and bronchiectasis; diffuse interstitial(infiltrative, restrictive) diseases, such as pneumoconioses,sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, desquamative interstitialpneumonitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, pulmonary eosinophilia(pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia), Bronchiolitisobliterans-organizing pneumonia, diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage syndromes,including Goodpasture syndrome, idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis andother hemorrhagic syndromes, pulmonary involvement in collagen vasculardisorders, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; complications oftherapies, such as drug-induced lung disease, radiation-induced lungdisease, and lung transplantation; tumors, such as bronchogeniccarcinoma, including paraneoplastic syndromes, bronchioloalveolarcarcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, such as bronchial carcinoid,miscellaneous tumors, and metastatic tumors; pathologies of the pleura,including inflammatory pleural effusions, noninflammatory pleuraleffusions, pneumothorax, and pleural tumors, including solitary fibroustumors (pleural fibroma) and malignant mesothelioma.

As used herein, disorders involving the ovary include, for example,polycystic ovarian disease, Stein-leventhal syndrome, Pseudomyxomaperitonei and stromal hyperthecosis; ovarian tumors such as, tumors ofcoelomic epithelium, serous tumors, mucinous tumors, endometeriodtumors, clear cell adenocarcinoma, cystadenofibroma, brenner tumor,surface epithelial tumors; germ cell tumors such as mature (benign)teratomas, monodermal teratomas, immature malignant teratomas,dysgerminoma, endodermal sinus tumor, choriocarcinoma; sex cord-stomaltumors such as, granulosa-theca cell tumors, thecoma-fibromas,androblastomas, hill cell tumors, and gonadoblastoma; and metastatictumors such as Krukenberg tumors.

As used herein, “a prostate disorder” refers to an abnormal conditionoccurring in the male pelvic region characterized by, e.g., male sexualdysfunction and/or urinary symptoms. This disorder may be manifested inthe form of genitourinary inflammation (e.g., inflammation of smoothmuscle cells) as in several common diseases of the prostate includingprostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia and cancer, e.g.,adenocarcinoma or carcinoma, of the prostate.

As used herein, the term “hematopoietic disorder” includes neoplasticand non-neoplastic hematopoietic or immune disorders. Examples ofneoplastic immune disorders include, but are not limited to, erythroidleukemias, or leukemias of erythroid precursor cells, e.g., poorlydifferentiated acute leukemias such as erythroblastic leukemia and acutemegakaryoblastic leukemia; acute promyeloid leukemia (APML), acutemyelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)(reviewed in Vaickus, L. (1991) Crit Rev. in Oncol./Hemotol. 11:267-97).In particular, AML can include the uncontrolled proliferation of CD34+cells such as AML subtypes M1 and M2, myeloblastic leukemias with andwithout maturation, and AML subtype M6, erythroleukemia (Di Guglielmo'sdisease). Additional neoplastic disorders include a myelodysplasticsyndrome or preleukemic disorder, e.g., oligoblastic leukemia,smoldering leukemia. Additional cancers of the erythroid lineage includeerythroblastosis, and other relevant diseases of the bone marrow.

The term “leukemia” or “leukemic cancer” is intended to have itsclinical meaning, namely, a neoplastic disease in which white corpusclematuration is arrested at a primitive stage of cell development. Thedisease is characterized by an increased number of leukemic blast cellsin the bone marrow, and by varying degrees of failure to produce normalhematopoietic cells. The condition may be either acute or chronic.Leukemias are further typically categorized as being either lymphocytici.e., being characterized by cells which have properties in common withnormal lymphocytes, or myelocytic (or myelogenous), i.e., characterizedby cells having some characteristics of normal granulocytic cells. Acutelymphocytic leukemia (“ALL”) arises in lymphoid tissue, and ordinarilyfirst manifests its presence in bone marrow. Acute myelocytic leukemia(“AML”) arises from bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells or theirprogeny. The term acute myelocytic leukemia subsumes several subtypes ofleukemia: myeloblastic leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia, andmyelomonocytic leukemia. In addition, leukemias with erythroid ormegakaryocytic properties are considered myelogenous leukemias as well.

Examples of non-neoplastic hematopoietic disorders or diseases include,but are not limited to, autoimmune diseases (including, for example,diabetes mellitus, arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenilerheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis), multiplesclerosis, encephalomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupuserythematosis, autoimmune thyroiditis, dermatitis (including atopicdermatitis and eczematous dermatitis), psoriasis, Sjögren's Syndrome,Crohn's disease, aphthous ulcer, iritis, conjunctivitis,keratoconjunctivitis, ulcerative colitis, asthma, allergic asthma,cutaneous lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, vaginitis, proctitis, drugeruptions, leprosy reversal reactions, erythema nodosum leprosum,autoimmune uveitis, allergic encephalomyelitis, acute necrotizinghemorrhagic encephalopathy, idiopathic bilateral progressivesensorineural hearing loss, aplastic anemia, pure red cell anemia,idiopathic thrombocytopenia, polychondritis, Wegener's granulomatosis,chronic active hepatitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, idiopathic sprue,lichen planus, Graves' disease, sarcoidosis, primary biliary cirrhosis,uveitis posterior, and interstitial lung fibrosis), graft-versus-hostdisease, cases of transplantation, and allergy such as, atopic allergy.

As used herein, the term “erythroid associated disorders” includedisorders involving aberrant (increased or deficient) erythroblastproliferation, e.g., an erythroleukemia, and aberrant (increased ordeficient) erythroblast differentiation, e.g., an anemia.Erythrocyte-associated disorders include anemias such as, for example,hemolytic anemias due to hereditary cell membrane abnormalities, such ashereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, and hereditarypyropoikilocytosis; hemolytic anemias due to acquired cell membranedefects, such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and spur cellanemia; hemolytic anemias caused by antibody reactions, for example tothe RBC antigens, or antigens of the ABO system, Lewis system, Iisystem, Rh system, Kidd system, Duffy system, and Kell system;methemoglobinemia; a failure of erythropoiesis, for example, as a resultof aplastic anemia, pure red cell aplasia, myelodysplastic syndromes,sideroblastic anemias, and congenital dyserythropoietic anemia;secondary anemia in nonhematolic disorders, for example, as a result ofchemotherapy, alcoholism, or liver disease; anemia of chronic disease,such as chronic renal failure; and endocrine deficiency diseases.

Agents that modulate polypeptide or nucleic acid activity or expressionof the molecules of the invention can be used to treat anemias, inparticular, anemias associated with cancer chemotherapy, chronic renalfailure, malignancies, adult and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,disorders of haemoglobin synthesis, prematurity, and zidovudinetreatment of HIV infection. A subject receiving the treatment can beadditionally treated with a second agent, e.g., erythropoietin, tofurther ameliorate the condition.

As used herein, the term “erythropoietin” or “EPO” refers to aglycoprotein produced in the kidney, which is the principal hormoneresponsible for stimulating red blood cell production (erythrogenesis).EPO stimulates the division and differentiation of committed erythroidprogenitors in the bone marrow. Normal plasma erythropoietin levelsrange from 0.01 to 0.03 Units/mL, and can increase up to 100 to1.000-fold during hypoxia or anemia. Graber and Krantz, Ann. Rev. Med.29:51 (1978); Eschbach and Adamson, Kidney Intl. 28:1 (1985).Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo or epoetin alfa) iscommercially available as EPOGEN® (epoetin alfa, recombinant humanerythropoietin) (Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and as PROCRIT®(epoetin alfa, recombinant human erythropoietin) (Ortho Biotech Inc.,Raritan, N.J.).

Another example of an erythroid-associated disorder is erythrocytosis.Erythrocytosis, a disorder of red blood cell overproduction caused byexcessive and/or ectopic erythropoietin production, can be caused bycancers, e.g., a renal cell cancer, a hepatocarcinoma, and a centralnervous system cancer. Diseases associated with erythrocytosis includepolycythemias, e.g., polycythemia vera, secondary polycythemia, andrelative polycythemia.

As used herein. disorders involving the pancreas include those of theexocrine pancreas such as congenital anomalies, including but notlimited to, ectopic pancreas; pancreatitis, including but not limitedto, acute pancreatitis; cysts, including but not limited to,pseudocysts; tumors, including but not limited to, cystic tumors andcarcinoma of the pancreas; and disorders of the endocrine pancreas suchas, diabetes mellitus; islet cell tumors, including but not limited to,insulinomas, gastrinomas, and other rare islet cell tumors.

As used herein, skeletal muscle disorders include, but are not limitedto, muscular dystrophy (e.g., Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Beckermuscular dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, limb-girdlemuscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, myotonicdystrophy, oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, distal musculardystrophy, and congenital muscular dystrophy), motor neuron diseases(e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, infantile progressive spinalmuscular atrophy, intermediate spinal muscular atrophy, spinal bulbarmuscular atrophy, and adult spinal muscular atrophy), myopathies (e.g.,inflammatory myopathies (e.g., dermatomyositis and polymyositis),myotonia congenita, paramyotonia congenita, central core disease,nemaline myopathy, myotubular myopathy, and periodic paralysis), tumorssuch as rhabdomyosarcoma, and metabolic diseases of muscle (e.g.,phosphorylase deficiency, acid maltase deficiency, phosphofructokinasedeficiency, debrancher enzyme deficiency, mitochondrial myopathy,carnitine deficiency, carnitine palmityl transferase deficiency,phosphoglycerate kinase deficiency, phosphoglycerate mutase deficiency,lactate dehydrogenase deficiency, and myoadenylate deaminasedeficiency).

Diseases of the skin, include but are not limited to, disorders ofpigmentation and melanocytes, including but not limited to, vitiligo,freckle, melasma, lentigo, nevocellular nevus, dysplastic nevi, andmalignant melanoma; benign epithelial tumors, including but not limitedto, seborrheic keratoses, acanthosis nigricans, fibroepithelial polyp,epithelial cyst, keratoacanthoma, and adnexal (appendage) tumors;premalignant and malignant epidermal tumors, including but not limitedto, actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma,and merkel cell carcinoma; tumors of the dermis, including but notlimited to, benign fibrous histiocytoma, dermatofibrosarcomaprotuberans, xanthomas, and dermal vascular tumors; tumors of cellularimmigrants to the skin, including but not limited to, histiocytosis X,mycosis fungoides (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), and mastocytosis;disorders of epidermal maturation, including but not limited to,ichthyosis; acute inflammatory dermatoses, including but not limited to,urticaria, acute eczematous dermatitis, and erythema multiforme; chronicinflammatory dermatoses, including but not limited to, psoriasis, lichenplanus, and lupus erythematosus; blistering (bullous) diseases,including but not limited to, pemphigus, bullous pemphigoid, dermatitisherpetiformis, and noninflammatory blistering diseases: epidermolysisbullosa and porphyria; disorders of epidermal appendages, including butnot limited to, acne vulgaris; panniculitis, including but not limitedto, erythema nodosum and erythema induratum; and infection andinfestation, such as verrucae, molluscum contagiosum, impetigo,superficial fungal infections, and arthropod bites, stings, andinfestations.

As used herein, hormonal disorders and diseases include type I and typeII diabetes mellitus, pituitary disorders (e.g., growth disorders),thyroid disorders (e.g., hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism), andreproductive or fertility disorders (e.g., disorders which affect theorgans of the reproductive system, e.g., the prostate gland, the uterus,or the vagina; disorders which involve an imbalance in the levels of areproductive hormone in a subject; disorders affecting the ability of asubject to reproduce; and disorders affecting secondary sexcharacteristic development, e.g., adrenal hyperplasia).

Examples of immune, e.g., inflammatory, (e.g. respiratory inflammatory)disorders or diseases include, but are not limited to, autoimmunediseases (including, for example, diabetes mellitus, arthritis(including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis), multiple sclerosis,encephalomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosis,autoimmune thyroiditis, dermatitis (including atopic dermatitis andeczematous dermatitis), psoriasis, Sjögren's Syndrome, inflammatorybowel disease, e.g. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, aphthousulcer, iritis, conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis, asthma, allergicasthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cutaneous lupuserythematosus, scleroderma, vaginitis, proctitis, drug eruptions,leprosy reversal reactions, erythema nodosum leprosum, autoimmuneuveitis, allergic encephalomyelitis, acute necrotizing hemorrhagicencephalopathy, idiopathic bilateral progressive sensorineural hearingloss, aplastic anemia, pure red cell anemia, idiopathicthrombocytopenia, polychondritis, Wegener's granulomatosis, chronicactive hepatitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, idiopathic sprue, lichenplanus, Graves' disease, sarcoidosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, uveitisposterior, and interstitial lung fibrosis), graft-versus-host disease,cases of transplantation, and allergy such as, atopic allergy.

As used herein, disorders involving the heart, or “cardiovasculardisease” or a “cardiovascular disorder” includes a disease or disorderwhich affects the cardiovascular system, e.g., the heart, the bloodvessels, and/or the blood. A cardiovascular disorder can be caused by animbalance in arterial pressure, a malfunction of the heart, or anocclusion of a blood vessel, e.g., by a thrombus. A cardiovasculardisorder includes, but is not limited to disorders such asarteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, ischemiareperfusion injury, restenosis, arterial inflammation, vascular wallremodeling, ventricular remodeling, rapid ventricular pacing, coronarymicroembolism, tachycardia, bradycardia, pressure overload, aorticbending, coronary artery ligation, vascular heart disease, valvulardisease, including but not limited to, valvular degeneration caused bycalcification, rheumatic heart disease, endocarditis, or complicationsof artificial valves; atrial fibrillation, long-QT syndrome, congestiveheart failure, sinus node dysfunction, angina, heart failure,hypertension, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, pericardial disease,including but not limited to, pericardial effusion and pericarditis;cardiomyopathies, e.g., dilated cardiomyopathy or idiopathiccardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, coronaryartery spasm, ischemic disease, arrhythmia, sudden cardiac death, andcardiovascular developmental disorders (e.g., arteriovenousmalformations, arteriovenous fistulae, raynaud's syndrome, neurogenicthoracic outlet syndrome, causalgia/reflex sympathetic dystrophy,hemangioma, aneurysm, cavernous angioma, aortic valve stenosis, atrialseptal defects, atrioventricular canal, coarctation of the aorta,ebsteins anomaly, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, interruption of theaortic arch, mitral valve prolapse, ductus arteriosus, patent foramenovale, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, pulmonary atresia withventricular septal defect, pulmonary atresia without ventricular septaldefect, persistance of the fetal circulation, pulmonary valve stenosis,single ventricle, total anomalous pulmonary venous return, transpositionof the great vessels, tricuspid atresia, truncus arteriosus, ventricularseptal defects). A cardiovascular disease or disorder also can includean endothelial cell disorder.

As used herein, the term “atherosclerosis” is intended to have itsclinical meaning. This term refers to a cardiovascular conditionoccurring as a result of narrowing down of the arterial walls. Thenarrowing is due to the formation of plaques (raised patches) or streaksin the inner lining of the arteries. These plaques consist of foam cellsof low-density lipoproteins, oxidized-LDL, decaying muscle cells,fibrous tissue, clumps of blood platelets, cholesterol, and sometimescalcium. They tend to form in regions of turbulent blood flow and arefound most often in people with high concentrations of cholesterol inthe bloodstream. The number and thickness of plaques increase with age,causing loss of the smooth lining of the blood vessels and encouragingthe formation of thrombi (blood clots). Sometimes fragments of thrombibreak off and form emboli, which travel through the bloodstream andblock smaller vessels. The blood supply is restricted to the heart,eventually forming a blood clot leading to death. The major causes ofatherosclerosis are hypercholesterolemia (and low HDL),hypoalphoproteinemia, and hyperlipidemia marked by high circulatingcholesterol and high lipids like LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides inthe blood. These lipids are deposited in the arterial walls, obstructingthe blood flow and forming atherosclerotic plaques leading to death.

As used herein the term “hypercholesterolemia” is a condition withelevated levels of circulating total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol andVLDL-cholesterol as per the guidelines of the Expert Panel Report of theNational Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP) of Detection, Evaluationof Treatment of high cholesterol in adults (see, Arch. Int. Med. (1988)148, 36-39).

As used herein the term “hyperlipidemia” or “hyperlipemia” is acondition where the blood lipid parameters are elevated in the blood.This condition manifests an abnormally high concentration of fats. Thelipid fractions in the circulating blood are, total cholesterol, lowdensity lipoproteins, very low density lipoproteins and triglycerides.

As used herein the term “lipoprotein” such as VLDL, LDL and HDL, refersto a group of proteins found in the serum, plasma and lymph and areimportant for lipid transport. The chemical composition of eachlipoprotein differs in that the HDL has a higher proportion of proteinversus lipid, whereas the VLDL has a lower proportion of protein versuslipid.

As used herein, the term “triglyceride” means a lipid or neutral fatconsisting of glycerol combined with three fatty acid molecules.

As used herein the term “xanthomatosis” is a disease evidenced by ayellowish swelling or plaques in the skin resulting from deposits offat. The presence of xanthomas are usually accompanied by raised bloodcholesterol levels.

As used herein the term “apolipoprotein B” or “apoprotein B” or “Apo B”refers to the protein component of the LDL cholesterol transportproteins. Cholesterol synthesized de novo is transported from the liverand intestine to peripheral tissues in the form of lipoproteins. Most ofthe apolipoprotein B is secreted into the circulatory system as VLDL.

As used herein the term “apolipoprotein A” or “apoprotein A” or “Apo A”refers to the protein component of the HDL cholesterol transportproteins.

“Procedural vascular trauma” includes the effects ofsurgical/medical-mechanical interventions into mammalian vasculature,but does not include vascular trauma due to the organic vascularpathologies listed hereinabove, or to unintended traumas, such as due toan accident. Thus, procedural vascular traumas within the scope of thepresent treatment method include (1) organ grafting or transplantation,such as transplantation and grafting of heart, kidney, liver and thelike, e.g., involving vessel anastomosis; (2) vascular surgery, such ascoronary bypass surgery, biopsy, heart valve replacement, atheroectomy,thrombectomy, and the like; (3) transcatheter vascular therapies (TVT)including angioplasty, e.g., laser angioplasty and PTCA proceduresdiscussed hereinbelow, employing balloon catheters, or indwellingcatheters; (4) vascular grafting using natural or synthetic materials,such as in saphenous vein coronary bypass grafts, dacron and venousgrafts used for peripheral arterial reconstruction, etc.; (5) placementof a mechanical shunt, such as a PTFE hemodialysis shunt used forarteriovenous communications; and (6) placement of an intravascularstent, which may be metallic, plastic or a biodegradable polymer. SeeU.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/389,712, filed Feb. 15, 1995, whichis incorporated by reference herein. For a general discussion ofimplantable devices and biomaterials from which they can be formed, seeH. Kambic et al., “Biomaterials in Artificial Organs”, Chem. Eng. News,30 (Apr. 14, 1986), the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

As used herein, “cholesterol lowering agents” include agents which areuseful for lowering serum cholesterol such as for example bile acidsequestering resins (e.g. colestipol hydrochloride or cholestyramine),fish oil, stanol esters, an ApoAII-lowering agent, a VLDL loweringagent, an ApoAI-stimulating agent, fibric acid derivatives (e.g.clofibrate, fenofibrate, or gemfibrozil), thiazolidenediones (e.g.troglitazone), or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (e.g. statins, such asfluvastatin sodium, lovastatin, pravastatin sodium, or simvastatin), aswell as nicotinic acid, niacin, or probucol.

“VLDL-lowering agent” includes an agent which decreases the hepaticsynthesis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins or increases the catabolismof triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, e.g., fibrates such as gemfibrozil,or the statins, increases the expression of the apoE-mediated clearancepathway, or improves insulin sensitivity in diabetics, e.g., thethiazolidene diones.

As used herein, a “lipid homeostasis disorder” includes a disorder,disease, or condition associated with, caused by, and/or linked toabnormal regulation (e.g., upregulation or downregulation) of lipidmetabolism. Lipid homeostasis disorders may be caused by or associatedwith aberrant lipolysis, aberrant lipid uptake, aberrant lipid synthesisand/or secretion, aberrant intracellular lipid release and/or turnover,aberrant intracellular triglyceride release and/or turnover, aberrantintracellular lipid and/or triglyceride mass, and/or aberrant secretedlipid and/or triglyceride mass within or from a cell, e.g., a livercell. Lipid homeostasis disorders include, but are not limited to,atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia,hypolipidemia, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypocholesterolemia,triglyceride storage disease, cardiovascular disease, coronary arterydisease, hypertension, stroke, overweight, anorexia, cachexia,hyperlipoproteinemia, hypolipoproteinemia, Niemann Pick disease,hypertriglyceridemia, hypotriglyceridemia, pancreatitis, diffuseidiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), atherogenic lipoproteinphenotype (ALP), epilepsy, liver disease, fatty liver, steatohepatitis,and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Disorders which can be treated or diagnosed by methods described hereininclude, but are not limited to, disorders associated with anaccumulation in the liver of fibrous tissue, such as that resulting froman imbalance between production and degradation of the extracellularmatrix accompanied by the collapse and condensation of preexistingfibers. The methods described herein can be used to diagnose or treathepatocellular necrosis or injury induced by a wide variety of agentsincluding processes which disturb homeostasis, such as an inflammatoryprocess, tissue damage resulting from toxic injury or altered hepaticblood flow, and infections (e.g., bacterial, viral and parasitic). Forexample, the methods can be used for the early detection of hepaticinjury, such as portal hypertension or hepatic fibrosis. In addition,the methods can be employed to detect liver fibrosis attributed toinborn errors of metabolism, for example, fibrosis resulting from astorage disorder such as Gaucher's disease (lipid abnormalities) or aglycogen storage disease, A1-antitrypsin deficiency; a disordermediating the accumulation (e.g., storage) of an exogenous substance,for example, hemochromatosis (iron-overload syndrome) and copper storagediseases (Wilson's disease), disorders resulting in the accumulation ofa toxic metabolite (e.g., tyrosinemia, fructosemia and galactosemia) andperoxisomal disorders (e.g., Zellweger syndrome). Additionally, themethods described herein can be used for the early detection andtreatment of liver injury associated with the administration of variouschemicals or drugs, such as for example, methotrexate, isonizaid,oxyphenisatin, methyldopa, chlorpromazine, tolbutamide or alcohol, orwhich represents a hepatic manifestation of a vascular disorder such asobstruction of either the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile flow or analteration in hepatic circulation resulting, for example, from chronicheart failure, veno-occlusive disease, portal vein thrombosis orBudd-Chiari syndrome.

Disorders involving the small intestine include the malabsorptionsyndromes such as, celiac sprue, tropical sprue (postinfectious sprue),whipple disease, disaccharidase (lactase) deficiency,abetalipoproteinemia, and tumors of the small intestine includingadenomas and adenocarcinoma.

Examples of pain conditions include, but are not limited to, painelicited during various forms of tissue injury, e.g., inflammation,infection, and ischemia; pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders,e.g., joint pain, or arthritis; tooth pain; headaches, e.g., migrane;pain associated with surgery; pain related to inflammation, e.g.,irritable bowel syndrome; chest pain; or hyperalgesia, e.g., excessivesensitivity to pain (described in, for example, Fields (1987) Pain, NewYork: McGraw-Hill). Other examples of pain disorders or pain syndromesinclude, but are not limited to, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS),reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), causalgia, neuralgia, central painand dysesthesia syndrome, carotidynia, neurogenic pain, refractorycervicobrachial pain syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome,craniomandibular pain dysfunction syndrome, chronic idiopathic painsyndrome, Costen's pain-dysfunction, acute chest pain syndrome, nonulcerdyspepsia, interstitial cystitis, gynecologic pain syndrome,patellofemoral pain syndrome, anterior knee pain syndrome, recurrentabdominal pain in children, colic, low back pain syndrome, neuropathicpain, phantom pain from amputation, phantom tooth pain, or painasymbolia (the inability to feel pain). Other examples of painconditions include pain induced by parturition, or post partum pain.

As used herein, an “endothelial cell disorder” includes a disordercharacterized by aberrant, unregulated, or unwanted endothelial cellactivity, e.g., proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, orvascularization; or aberrant expression of cell surface adhesionmolecules or genes associated with angiogenesis, e.g., TIE-2, FLT andFLK. Endothelial cell disorders include tumorigenesis, tumor metastasis,psoriasis, diabetic retinopathy, endometriosis, Grave's disease,ischemic disease (e.g., atherosclerosis), and chronic inflammatorydiseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis).

Additionally, the molecules of the invention can play an important rolein the etiology of certain viral diseases, including but not limited toHepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Modulators ofthe activity of the molecules of the invention could be used to controlviral diseases. The modulators can be used in the treatment and/ordiagnosis of viral infected tissue or virus-associated tissue fibrosis,especially liver and liver fibrosis. Also, such modulators can be usedin the treatment and/or diagnosis of virus-associated carcinoma,especially hepatocellular cancer.

Additionally, molecules of the invention can play an important role inthe regulation of metabolism or pain disorders. Diseases of metabolicimbalance include, but are not limited to, obesity, anorexia nervosa,cachexia, lipid disorders, and diabetes. Examples of pain disordersinclude, but are not limited to, pain response elicited during variousforms of tissue injury, e.g., inflammation, infection, and ischemia,usually referred to as hyperalgesia (described in, for example, Fields(1987) Pain, New York: McGraw-Hill); pain associated withmusculoskeletal disorders, e.g., joint pain; tooth pain; headaches; painassociated with surgery; pain related to irritable bowel syndrome; orchest pain.

Aberrant expression and/or activity of the molecules of the inventioncan mediate disorders associated with bone metabolism. “Bone metabolism”refers to direct or indirect effects in the formation or degeneration ofbone structures, e.g., bone formation, bone resorption, etc., which canultimately affect the concentrations in serum of calcium and phosphate.This term also includes activities mediated by the molecules of theinvention in bone cells, e.g. osteoclasts and osteoblasts, that can inturn result in bone formation and degeneration. For example, moleculesof the invention can support different activities of bone resorbingosteoclasts such as the stimulation of differentiation of monocytes andmononuclear phagocytes into osteoclasts. Accordingly, molecules of theinvention that modulate the production of bone cells can influence boneformation and degeneration, and thus can be used to treat bonedisorders. Examples of such disorders include, but are not limited to,osteoporosis, osteodystrophy, osteomalacia, rickets, osteitis fibrosacystica, renal osteodystrophy, osteosclerosis, anti-convulsanttreatment, osteopenia, fibrogenesis-imperfecta ossium, secondaryhyperparathyrodism, hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, cirrhosis,obstructive jaundice, drug induced metabolism, medullary carcinoma,chronic renal disease, rickets, sarcoidosis, glucocorticoid antagonism,malabsorption syndrome, steatorrhea, tropical sprue, idiopathichypercalcemia and milk fever.

As used herein, platelet disorders include, but are not limited to,thrombocytopenia, include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, includingacute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, drug-inducedthrombocytopenia, HIV-associated thrombocytopenia, and thromboticmicroangiopathies: thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura andhemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Various aspects of the invention are described in further detail below.

Isolated Nucleic Acid Molecules

In one aspect, the invention provides, an isolated or purified, nucleicacid molecule that encodes a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide described herein,e.g., a full length 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or a fragment thereof, e.g.,a biologically active portion of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. Also includedis a nucleic acid fragment suitable for use as a hybridization probe,which can be used, e.g., to identify a nucleic acid molecule encoding apolypeptide of the invention, 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA, and fragments suitablefor use as primers, e.g., PCR primers for the amplification or mutationof nucleic acid molecules.

In one embodiment, an isolated nucleic acid molecule of the inventionincludes the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18,20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or72, or a portion of any of this nucleotide sequence. In one embodiment,the nucleic acid molecule includes sequences encoding the human 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein (i.e., “the coding region” of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25,28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70, as shown in SEQ ID NO:3, 9, 18, 22, 27,30, 37, 41, 44, 65, 69 or 72, respectively), as well as 5′ untranslatedsequences and 3′ untranslated sequences. Alternatively, the nucleic acidmolecule can include only the coding region of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20,25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 (e.g., SEQ ID NO:3, 9, 18, 22, 27, 30,37, 41, 44, 65, 69 or 72) and, e.g., no flanking sequences whichnormally accompany the subject sequence. In another embodiment, thenucleic acid molecule encodes a sequence corresponding to a fragment ofthe protein corresponding to conserved domains identified within SEQ IDNO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71.

In another embodiment, an isolated nucleic acid molecule of theinvention includes a nucleic acid molecule which is a complement of thenucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25,27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or aportion of any of these nucleotide sequences. In other embodiments, thenucleic acid molecule of the invention is sufficiently complementary tothe nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22,25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72 suchthat it can hybridize to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1,3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65,67, 69, 70 or 72, thereby forming a stable duplex.

In one embodiment, an isolated nucleic acid molecule of the presentinvention includes a nucleotide sequence which is at least about: 60%,65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%,99%, or more homologous to the entire length of the nucleotide sequenceshown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37,39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or a portion, preferably ofthe same length, of any of these nucleotide sequences.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 Nucleic Acid Fragments

A nucleic acid molecule of the invention can include only a portion ofthe nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25,27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72. Forexample, such a nucleic acid molecule can include a fragment which canbe used as a probe or primer or a fragment encoding a portion of a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein, e.g., an immunogenic or biologically activeportion of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. A fragment can comprise thosenucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35,37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, which encode a domain ofhuman 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933. The nucleotide sequence determined from thecloning of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene allows for the generation of probesand primers designed for use in identifying and/or cloning other 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 family members, or fragments thereof, as well as 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933homologs, or fragments thereof, from other species.

In another embodiment, a nucleic acid includes a nucleotide sequencethat includes part, or all, of the coding region and extends into either(or both) the 5′ or 3′ noncoding region. Other embodiments include afragment which includes a nucleotide sequence encoding an amino acidfragment described herein. Nucleic acid fragments can encode a specificdomain or site described herein or fragments thereof, particularlyfragments thereof which are at least 100 amino acids in length.Fragments also include nucleic acid sequences corresponding to specificamino acid sequences described above or fragments thereof. Nucleic acidfragments should not to be construed as encompassing those fragmentsthat may have been disclosed prior to the invention.

A nucleic acid fragment can include a sequence corresponding to adomain, region, or functional site described herein. A nucleic acidfragment can also include one or more domain, region, or functional sitedescribed herein. Thus, for example, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acidfragment can include a sequence corresponding to a domain, as describedherein.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 probes and primers are provided. Typically a probe/primeris an isolated or purified oligonucleotide. The oligonucleotidetypically includes a region of nucleotide sequence that hybridizes understringent conditions to at least about 7, 12 or 15, preferably about 20or 25, more preferably about 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, or 75consecutive nucleotides of a sense or antisense sequence of SEQ ID NO:1,3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65,67, 69, 70 or 72, or of a naturally occurring allelic variant or mutantof SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41,42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72.

In a preferred embodiment the nucleic acid is a probe which is at least5 or 10, and less than 200, more preferably less than 100, or less than50, base pairs in length. It should be identical, or differ by 1, orless than in 5 or 10 bases, from a sequence disclosed herein. Ifalignment is needed for this comparison the sequences should be alignedfor maximum homology. “Looped” out sequences from deletions orinsertions, or mismatches, are considered differences.

A probe or primer can be derived from the sense or anti-sense strand ofa nucleic acid which encodes a domain identified in the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933sequences.

In another embodiment a set of primers is provided, e.g., primerssuitable for use in a PCR, which can be used to amplify a selectedregion of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence, e.g., a domain, region, site orother sequence described herein. The primers should be at least 5, 10,or 50 base pairs in length and less than 100, or less than 200, basepairs in length. The primers should be identical, or differ by one basefrom a sequence disclosed herein or from a naturally occurring variant.

A nucleic acid fragment can encode an epitope bearing region of apolypeptide described herein.

A nucleic acid fragment encoding a “biologically active portion of a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 polypeptide” can be prepared by isolating a portion ofthe nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27,28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, which encodesa polypeptide having a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 biological activity (e.g., thebiological activities of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins are describedherein), expressing the encoded portion of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein(e.g., by recombinant expression in vitro) and assessing the activity ofthe encoded portion of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. A nucleic acidfragment encoding a biologically active portion of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide, can comprise a nucleotide sequence which is greater than300 or more nucleotides in length.

In preferred embodiments, a nucleic acid includes a nucleotide sequencewhich is about 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200,1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400,2500, 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300, 3400, 3500, 3600,3700, 3800, 3900, 4000, 4100, 4200, 4300, 4400, 4500, 4600, 4700, 4800,4900, 5000, 5100, 5200, 5300, 5400, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 6000,6100, 6200, 6300, 6400, 6500, 6600, 6700, 6800, 6900, 7000, 7100, 7200,7249 or more nucleotides in length and hybridizes under stringenthybridization conditions to a nucleic acid molecule of SEQ ID NO:1, 3,7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65,67, 69, 70 or 72.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 Nucleic Acid Variants

The invention further encompasses nucleic acid molecules that differfrom the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20,22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72.Such differences can be due to degeneracy of the genetic code (andresult in a nucleic acid which encodes the same 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinsas those encoded by the nucleotide sequence disclosed herein. In anotherembodiment, an isolated nucleic acid molecule of the invention has anucleotide sequence encoding a protein having an amino acid sequencewhich differs, by at least 1, but less than 5, 10, 20, 50, or 100 aminoacid residues that shown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43,64, 68 or 71. If alignment is needed for this comparison the sequencesshould be aligned for maximum homology. “Looped” out sequences fromdeletions or insertions, or mismatches, are considered differences.

Nucleic acids of the inventor can be chosen for having codons, which arepreferred, or non-preferred, for a particular expression system. E.g.,the nucleic acid can be one in which at least one codon, at preferablyat least 10%, or 20% of the codons has been altered such that thesequence is optimized for expression in E. coli, yeast, human, insect,or CHO cells.

Nucleic acid variants can be naturally occurring, such as allelicvariants (same locus), homologs (different locus), and orthologs(different organism) or can be non naturally occurring. Non-naturallyoccurring variants can be made by mutagenesis techniques, includingthose applied to polynucleotides, cells, or organisms. The variants cancontain nucleotide substitutions, deletions, inversions and insertions.Variation can occur in either or both the coding and non-coding regions.The variations can produce both conservative and non-conservative aminoacid substitutions (as compared in the encoded product).

In a preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid differs from that of SEQ IDNO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44,63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, e.g., as follows: by at least one but lessthan 10, 20, 30, or 40 nucleotides; at least one but less than 1%, 5%,10% or 20% of the nucleotides in the subject nucleic acid. If necessaryfor this analysis the sequences should be aligned for maximum homology.“Looped” out sequences from deletions or insertions, or mismatches, areconsidered differences.

Orthologs, homologs, and allelic variants can be identified usingmethods known in the art. These variants comprise a nucleotide sequenceencoding a polypeptide that is 50%, at least about 55%, typically atleast about 70-75%, more typically at least about 80-85%, and mosttypically at least about 90-95% or more identical to the nucleotidesequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or71 or a fragment of this sequence. Such nucleic acid molecules canreadily be identified as being able to hybridize under stringentconditions, to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21,26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 or a fragment of the sequence. Nucleicacid molecules corresponding to orthologs, homologs, and allelicvariants of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 cDNAs of the invention can further beisolated by mapping to the same chromosome or locus as the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene.

Preferred variants include those that are correlated with activitiesspecific to the molecules of the invention, i.e. carboxylase activity,fatty acid desaturase activity, serine/threonine dehydratase activity,hexokinase activity, peptidyl tRNA hydrolase activity, dual specificityphosphatase activity, phospholipase activity, transporter activity, orother.

Allelic variants of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, e.g., human 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, includeboth functional and non-functional proteins. Functional allelic variantsare naturally occurring amino acid sequence variants of the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein within a population that maintain the ability to (1)hydrolyze an ester linkage and/or liberate the free acid form of asubstrate, e.g., hydrolysis of a triglyceride and/or liberation of freefatty acid(s) and glycerol; (2) catalyze the formation of a double bond,preferably, at positions up to 9 carbons from the carboxyl end of amolecule, e.g., a fatty acid, such as a polyunsaturated fatty acid; (3)catalyze the phosphorylation of a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and aketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine); (4) catalyze sugar metabolism; (5) transfer a phosphatefrom a phosphate donor (e.g., ATP) to a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses anda ketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine) to form a phosphorylated sugar, e.g., glucose-6-phosphate;(6) catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a tyrosineresidue in a protein target, e.g., a growth factor receptor; (7)catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a serine orthreonine residue in a protein e.g., a growth factor receptor; (8)hydrolyze covalent bond between peptide and tRNA within peptidyl-tRNAs;(9) catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate(PIP2) producing diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; (10)transport a substrate or target molecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion) from oneside of a biological membrane to the other; or (11) be phosphorylated ordephosphorylated. Functional allelic variants will typically containonly conservative substitution of one or more amino acids of SEQ IDNO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or substitution,deletion or insertion of non-critical residues in non-critical regionsof the protein. Non-functional allelic variants are naturally-occurringamino acid sequence variants of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, e.g., human 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933, protein within a population that do not have the ability to (1)hydrolyze an ester linkage and/or liberate the free acid form of asubstrate, e.g., hydrolysis of a triglyceride and/or liberation of freefatty acid(s) and glycerol; (2) catalyze the formation of a double bond,preferably, at positions up to 9 carbons from the carboxyl end of amolecule, e.g., a fatty acid, such as a polyunsaturated fatty acid; (3)catalyze the phosphorylation of a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and aketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine); (4) catalyze sugar metabolism; (5) transfer a phosphatefrom a phosphate donor (e.g., ATP) to a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses anda ketohexoses (e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol andglucosamine) to form a phosphorylated sugar, e.g., glucose-6-phosphate;(6) catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a tyrosineresidue in a protein target, e.g., a growth factor receptor; (7)catalyze the removal of a phosphate group attached to a serine orthreonine residue in a protein e.g., a growth factor receptor; (8)hydrolyze covalent bond between peptide and tRNA within peptidyl-tRNAs;(9) catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate(PIP2) producing diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; (10)transport a substrate or target molecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion) from oneside of a biological membrane to the other; or (11) be phosphorylated ordephosphorylated. Non-functional allelic variants will typically containa non-conservative substitution, a deletion, or insertion, or prematuretruncation of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29,36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or a substitution, insertion, or deletion incritical residues or critical regions of the protein.

Moreover, nucleic acid molecules encoding other 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 familymembers and, thus, which have a nucleotide sequence which differs fromthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22,25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72 areintended to be within the scope of the invention.

Antisense Nucleic Acid Molecules, Ribozymes and Modified 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933Nucleic Acid Molecules

In another aspect, the invention features, an isolated nucleic acidmolecule which is antisense to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. An “antisense” nucleic acidcan include a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to a “sense”nucleic acid encoding a protein, e.g., complementary to the codingstrand of a double-stranded cDNA molecule or complementary to an mRNAsequence. The antisense nucleic acid can be complementary to an entire25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 coding strand, or to only a portion thereof (e.g., thecoding region of human 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 corresponding to SEQ ID NO:3, 9, 18,22, 27, 30, 37, 41, 44, 65, 69 or 72, respectively). In anotherembodiment, the antisense nucleic acid molecule is antisense to a“noncoding region” of the coding strand of a nucleotide sequenceencoding 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 (e.g., the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions).

An antisense nucleic acid can be designed such that it is complementaryto the entire coding region of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA, but more preferably isan oligonucleotide which is antisense to only a portion of the coding ornoncoding region of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA. For example, the antisenseoligonucleotide can be complementary to the region surrounding thetranslation start site of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA, e.g., between the −10and +10 regions of the target gene nucleotide sequence of interest. Anantisense oligonucleotide can be, for example, about 7, 10, 15, 20, 25,30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, or more nucleotides inlength.

An antisense nucleic acid of the invention can be constructed usingchemical synthesis and enzymatic ligation reactions using proceduresknown in the art. For example, an antisense nucleic acid (e.g., anantisense oligonucleotide) can be chemically synthesized using naturallyoccurring nucleotides or variously modified nucleotides designed toincrease the biological stability of the molecules or to increase thephysical stability of the duplex formed between the antisense and sensenucleic acids, e.g., phosphorothioate derivatives and acridinesubstituted nucleotides can be used. The antisense nucleic acid also canbe produced biologically using an expression vector into which a nucleicacid has been subcloned in an antisense orientation (i.e., RNAtranscribed from the inserted nucleic acid will be of an antisenseorientation to a target nucleic acid of interest, described further inthe following subsection).

The antisense nucleic acid molecules of the invention are typicallyadministered to a subject (e.g., by direct injection at a tissue site),or generated in situ such that they hybridize with or bind to cellularmRNA and/or genomic DNA encoding a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein to therebyinhibit expression of the protein, e.g., by inhibiting transcriptionand/or translation. Alternatively, antisense nucleic acid molecules canbe modified to target selected cells and then administered systemically.For systemic administration, antisense molecules can be modified suchthat they specifically or selectively bind to receptors or antigensexpressed on a selected cell surface, e.g., by linking the antisensenucleic acid molecules to peptides or antibodies which bind to cellsurface receptors or antigens. The antisense nucleic acid molecules canalso be delivered to cells using the vectors described herein. Toachieve sufficient intracellular concentrations of the antisensemolecules, vector constructs in which the antisense nucleic acidmolecule is placed under the control of a strong pol II or pol IIIpromoter are preferred.

In yet another embodiment, the antisense nucleic acid molecule of theinvention is an α-anomeric nucleic acid molecule. An α-anomeric nucleicacid molecule forms specific double-stranded hybrids with complementaryRNA in which, contrary to the usual β-units, the strands run parallel toeach other (Gaultier et al. (1987) Nucleic Acids. Res. 15:6625-6641).The antisense nucleic acid molecule can also comprise a2′-o-methylribonucleotide (Inoue et al. (1987) Nucleic Acids Res.15:6131-6148) or a chimeric RNA-DNA analogue (Inoue et al. (1987) FEBSLett. 215:327-330).

In still another embodiment, an antisense nucleic acid of the inventionis a ribozyme. A ribozyme having specificity for a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-encodingnucleic acid can include one or more sequences complementary to thenucleotide sequence of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 cDNA disclosed herein (i.e.,SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41,42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72), and a sequence having known catalyticsequence responsible for mRNA cleavage (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,246 orHaselhoff and Gerlach (1988) Nature 334:585-591). For example, aderivative of a Tetrahymena L-19 IVS RNA can be constructed in which thenucleotide sequence of the active site is complementary to thenucleotide sequence to be cleaved in a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-encoding mRNA.See, e.g., Cech et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,071; and Cech et al. U.S.Pat. No. 5,116,742. Alternatively, 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA can be used toselect a catalytic RNA having a specific ribonuclease activity from apool of RNA molecules. See, e.g., Bartel and Szostak (1993) Science261:1411-1418.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 gene expression can be inhibited by targeting nucleotidesequences complementary to the regulatory region of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933(e.g., the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 promoter and/or enhancers) to form triplehelical structures that prevent transcription of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene in target cells. See generally, Helene (1991) Anticancer Drug Des.6:569-84; Helene (1992) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 660:27-36; and Maher (1992)Bioassays 14:807-15. The potential sequences that can be targeted fortriple helix formation can be increased by creating a so-called“switchback” nucleic acid molecule. Switchback molecules are synthesizedin an alternating 5′-3′,3′-5′ manner, such that they base pair withfirst one strand of a duplex and then the other, eliminating thenecessity for a sizeable stretch of either purines or pyrimidines to bepresent on one strand of a duplex.

The invention also provides detectably labeled oligonucleotide primerand probe molecules. Typically, such labels are chemiluminescent,fluorescent, radioactive, or calorimetric.

A 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecule can be modified at the base moiety,sugar moiety or phosphate backbone to improve, e.g., the stability,hybridization, or solubility of the molecule. For example, thedeoxyribose phosphate backbone of the nucleic acid molecules can bemodified to generate peptide nucleic acids (see Hyrup et al. (1996)Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry 4: 5-23).

As used herein, the terms “peptide nucleic acid” or “PNA” refers to anucleic acid mimic, e.g., a DNA mimic, in which the deoxyribosephosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide backbone and only thefour natural nucleobases are retained. The neutral backbone of a PNA canallow for specific hybridization to DNA and RNA under conditions of lowionic strength. The synthesis of PNA oligomers can be performed usingstandard solid phase peptide synthesis protocols as described in Hyrupet al. (1996) supra; Perry-O'Keefe et al. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.93: 14670-675.

PNAs of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecules can be used in therapeuticand diagnostic applications. For example, PNAs can be used as antisenseor antigene agents for sequence-specific modulation of gene expressionby, for example, inducing transcription or translation arrest orinhibiting replication. PNAs of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid moleculescan also be used in the analysis of single base pair mutations in agene, (e.g., by PNA-directed PCR clamping); as ‘artificial restrictionenzymes’ when used in combination with other enzymes, (e.g., S1nucleases (Hyrup et al. (1996) supra)); or as probes or primers for DNAsequencing or hybridization (Hyrup et al. (1996) supra; Perry-O'Keefesupra).

In other embodiments, the oligonucleotide can include other appendedgroups such as peptides (e.g., for targeting host cell receptors invivo), or agents facilitating transport across the cell membrane (see,e.g., Letsinger et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:6553-6556;Lemaitre et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:648-652; PCTPublication No. WO88/09810) or the blood-brain barrier (see, e.g., PCTPublication No. WO89/10134). In addition, oligonucleotides can bemodified with hybridization-triggered cleavage agents (see, e.g., Krolet al. (1988) Bio-Techniques 6:958-976) or intercalating agents. (see,e.g., Zon (1988) Pharm. Res. 5:539-549). To this end, theoligonucleotide can be conjugated to another molecule, (e.g., a peptide,hybridization triggered cross-linking agent, transport agent, orhybridization-triggered cleavage agent).

The invention also includes molecular beacon oligonucleotide primer andprobe molecules having at least one region which is complementary to a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleic acid of the invention, two complementary regionsone having a fluorophore and one a quencher such that the molecularbeacon is useful for quantitating the presence of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleic acid of the invention in a sample. Molecular beacon nucleicacids are described, for example, in Lizardi et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,854,033; Nazarenko et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,336, and Livak et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,930.

Isolated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 Polypeptides

In another aspect, the invention features, an isolated 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein, or fragment, e.g., a biologically active portion, for use asimmunogens or antigens to raise or test (or more generally to bind)anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies. 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can beisolated from cells or tissue sources using standard proteinpurification techniques. 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or fragments thereofcan be produced by recombinant DNA techniques or synthesized chemically.

Polypeptides of the invention include those which arise as a result ofthe existence of multiple genes, alternative transcription events,alternative RNA splicing events, and alternative translational andpost-translational events. The polypeptide can be expressed in systems,e.g., cultured cells, which result in substantially the samepost-translational modifications present when the polypeptide isexpressed in a native cell, or in systems which result in the alterationor omission of post-translational modifications, e.g., glycosylation orcleavage, present in a native cell.

In a preferred embodiment, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide has one or moreof the following characteristics: it has the ability to (1) hydrolyze anester linkage and/or liberate the free acid form of a substrate, e.g.,hydrolysis of a triglyceride and/or liberation of free fatty acid(s) andglycerol; (2) catalyze the formation of a double bond, preferably, atpositions up to 9 carbons from the carboxyl end of a molecule, e.g., afatty acid, such as a polyunsaturated fatty acid; (3) catalyze thephosphorylation of a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and a ketohexoses(e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol and glucosamine); (4)catalyze sugar metabolism; (5) transfer a phosphate from a phosphatedonor (e.g., ATP) to a sugar, e.g., an aldohexoses and a ketohexoses(e.g., glucose, mannose, fructose, sorbitol and glucosamine) to form aphosphorylated sugar, e.g., glucose-6-phosphate; (6) catalyze theremoval of a phosphate group attached to a tyrosine residue in a proteintarget, e.g., a growth factor receptor; (7) catalyze the removal of aphosphate group attached to a serine or threonine residue in a proteine.g., a growth factor receptor; (8) hydrolyze covalent bond betweenpeptide and tRNA within peptidyl-tRNAs; (9) catalyze the hydrolysis ofphosphatidyl-inositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) producing diacylglyceroland inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate; (10) transport a substrate or targetmolecule (e.g., a Ca²⁺ ion) from one side of a biological membrane tothe other; (11) be phosphorylated or dephosphorylated; (12) it has amolecular weight, e.g., a deduced molecular weight, preferably ignoringany contribution of post translational modifications, amino acidcomposition or other physical characteristic of a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide, e.g., a polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36,40, 43, 64, 68 or 71; (13) it has an overall sequence similarity of atleast 60%, preferably at least 70%, more preferably at least 80, 90, or95%, with a polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43,64, 68 or 71; (14) it is expressed in a multitude of human tissues andcell lines (refer to section for each molecule of the invention); and(15) it has specific domains which are preferably about 70%, 80%, 90% or95% identical to the identified amino acid residues of SEQ ID NO:2, 8,17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 (refer to section for eachmolecule of the invention for domain names and locations within aminoacid sequence).

In a preferred embodiment the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, or fragment thereof,differs from the corresponding sequence in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26,29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71. In one embodiment it differs by at leastone but by less than 15, 10 or 5 amino acid residues. In another itdiffers from the corresponding sequence in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26,29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 by at least one residue but less than 20%,15%, 10% or 5% of the residues in it differ from the correspondingsequence in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71.(If this comparison requires alignment the sequences should be alignedfor maximum homology. “Looped” out sequences from deletions orinsertions, or mismatches, are considered differences.) The differencesare, preferably, differences or changes at a non-essential residue or aconservative substitution. In a preferred embodiment the differences arenot in the identified or conserved domain(s) within SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17,21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71. In another embodiment one or moredifferences are in the identified or conserved domain(s) within SEQ IDNO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71.

Other embodiments include a protein that contains one or more changes inamino acid sequence, e.g., a change in an amino acid residue which isnot essential for activity. Such 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins differ inamino acid sequence from SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64,68 or 71, yet retain biological activity.

In one embodiment, the protein includes an amino acid sequence at leastabout 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or more homologous toSEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71.

A 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein or fragment is provided which varies from thesequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 inregions defined by amino acids that are not within identified orconserved domains or regions by at least one but by less than 15, 10 or5 amino acid residues in the protein or fragment but which does notdiffer from SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 inregions defined by amino acids that are within identified or conserveddomains or regions. (If this comparison requires alignment the sequencesshould be aligned for maximum homology. “Looped” out sequences fromdeletions or insertions, or mismatches, are considered differences.) Insome embodiments the difference is at a non-essential residue or is aconservative substitution, while in others the difference is at anessential residue or is a non-conservative substitution.

In one embodiment, a biologically active portion of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein includes an identified domain (refer to section for eachmolecule of the invention). Moreover, other biologically activeportions, in which other regions of the protein are deleted, can beprepared by recombinant techniques and evaluated for one or more of thefunctional activities of a native 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

In a preferred embodiment, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein has an amino acidsequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or71. In other embodiments, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein is sufficiently orsubstantially identical to SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43,64, 68 or 71. In yet another embodiment, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein issufficiently or substantially identical to SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26,29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 and retains the functional activity of theprotein of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, asdescribed in detail in the subsections above.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 Chimeric or Fusion Proteins

In another aspect, the invention provides 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 chimeric orfusion proteins. As used herein, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 “chimeric protein” or“fusion protein” includes a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide linked to anon-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide. A “non-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide”refers to a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence corresponding to aprotein which is not substantially homologous to the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein, e.g., a protein which is different from the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein and which is derived from the same or a different organism. The25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 polypeptide of the fusion protein can correspond to allor a portion e.g., a fragment described herein of a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 aminoacid sequence. In a preferred embodiment, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 fusion proteinincludes at least one (or two) biologically active portion of a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein. The non-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide can be fused to theN-terminus or C-terminus of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide.

The fusion protein can include a moiety which has a high affinity for aligand. For example, the fusion protein can be a GST-25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933fusion protein in which the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequences are fused to theC-terminus of the GST sequences. Such fusion proteins can facilitate thepurification of recombinant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. Alternatively, the fusionprotein can be a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein containing a heterologous signalsequence at its N-terminus. In certain host cells (e.g., mammalian hostcells), expression and/or secretion of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 can beincreased through use of a heterologous signal sequence.

Fusion proteins can include all or a part of a serum protein, e.g., aportion of an immunoglobulin (e.g., IgG, IgA, or IgE), e.g., an Fcregion and/or the hinge C1 and C2 sequences of an immunoglobulin orhuman serum albumin.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 fusion proteins of the invention can beincorporated into pharmaceutical compositions and administered to asubject in vivo. The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 fusion proteins can be used toaffect the bioavailability of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate. 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 fusion proteins can be useful therapeutically for the treatment ofdisorders caused by, for example, (i) aberrant modification or mutationof a gene encoding a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein; (ii) mis-regulation of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 gene; and (iii) aberrant post-translational modificationof a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Moreover, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-fusion proteins of the invention can beused as immunogens to produce anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies in asubject, to purify 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 ligands and in screening assays toidentify molecules which inhibit the interaction of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 with a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 substrate.

Expression vectors are commercially available that already encode afusion moiety (e.g., a GST polypeptide). A 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-encodingnucleic acid can be cloned into such an expression vector such that thefusion moiety is linked in-frame to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Variants of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 Proteins

In another aspect, the invention also features a variant of a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 polypeptide, e.g., which functions as an agonist (mimetics) or asan antagonist. Variants of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins can be generated bymutagenesis, e.g., discrete point mutation, the insertion or deletion ofsequences or the truncation of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. An agonist ofthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins can retain substantially the same, or asubset, of the biological activities of the naturally occurring form ofa 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein. An antagonist of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein caninhibit one or more of the activities of the naturally occurring form ofthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein by, for example, competitively modulatinga 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-mediated activity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. Thus,specific biological effects can be elicited by treatment with a variantof limited function. Preferably, treatment of a subject with a varianthaving a subset of the biological activities of the naturally occurringform of the protein has fewer side effects in a subject relative totreatment with the naturally occurring form of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Variants of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can be identified by screeningcombinatorial libraries of mutants, e.g., truncation mutants, of a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein for agonist or antagonist activity.

Libraries of fragments e.g., N terminal, C terminal, or internalfragments, of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein coding sequence can be used togenerate a variegated population of fragments for screening andsubsequent selection of variants of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Variants in which a cysteine residues is added or deleted or in which aresidue which is glycosylated is added or deleted are particularlypreferred.

Methods for screening gene products of combinatorial libraries made bypoint mutations or truncation, and for screening cDNA libraries for geneproducts having a selected property are known in the art. Recursiveensemble mutagenesis (REM), a new technique which enhances the frequencyof functional mutants in the libraries, can be used in combination withthe screening assays to identify 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 variants (Arkin andYourvan (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:7811-7815; Delgrave et al.(1993) Protein Engineering 6:327-331).

Cell based assays can be exploited to analyze a variegated 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933library. For example, a library of expression vectors can be transfectedinto a cell line, e.g., a cell line, which ordinarily responds to 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 in a substrate-dependent manner. The transfected cells are thencontacted with 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 and the effect of the expression of themutant on signaling by the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate can be detected,e.g., by measuring either carboxylase activity, fatty acid desaturaseactivity, serine/threonine dehydratase activity, hexokinase activity,peptidyl tRNA hydrolase activity, dual specificity phosphatase activity,phospholipase activity, transporter activity, or other activitydisclosed herein. Plasmid DNA can then be recovered from the cells whichscore for inhibition, or alternatively, potentiation of signaling by the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 substrate, and the individual clones furthercharacterized.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of making a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 polypeptide, e.g., a peptide having a non-wild type activity,e.g., an antagonist, agonist, or super agonist of a naturally occurring25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 polypeptide, e.g., a naturally occurring 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide. The method includes altering the sequence of a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 polypeptide, e.g., altering the sequence, e.g., by substitution ordeletion of one or more residues of a non-conserved region, a domain orresidue disclosed herein, and testing the altered polypeptide for thedesired activity.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of making a fragmentor analog of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide a biological activity of anaturally occurring 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide. The method includesaltering the sequence, e.g., by substitution or deletion of one or moreresidues, of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide, e.g., altering the sequence ofa non-conserved region, or a domain or residue described herein, andtesting the altered polypeptide for the desired activity.

Anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 Antibodies

In another aspect, the invention provides an anti-25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933antibody. The term “antibody” as used herein refers to an immunoglobulinmolecule or immunologically active portion thereof, i.e., anantigen-binding portion. Examples of immunologically active portions ofimmunoglobulin molecules include scFV and dcFV fragments, Fab andF(ab′)₂ fragments which can be generated by treating the antibody withan enzyme such as papain or pepsin, respectively.

The antibody can be a polyclonal, monoclonal, recombinant, e.g., achimeric or humanized, fully human, non-human, e.g., murine, or singlechain antibody. In a preferred embodiment it has effector function andcan fix complement. The antibody can be coupled to a toxin or imagingagent.

A full-length 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or, antigenic peptide fragment of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 can be used as an immunogen or can be used to identifyanti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies made with other immunogens, e.g.,cells, membrane preparations, and the like. The antigenic peptide of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 should include at least 8 amino acid residues of theamino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43,64, 68 or 71 and encompasses an epitope of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. Preferably,the antigenic peptide includes at least 10 amino acid residues, morepreferably at least 15 amino acid residues, even more preferably atleast 20 amino acid residues, and most preferably at least 30 amino acidresidues.

Fragments of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 which include hydrophilic regions of SEQ IDNO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 can be used to make,e.g., used as immunogens or used to characterize the specificity of anantibody, antibodies against hydrophilic regions of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein. Similarly, fragments of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 which includehydrophobic regions of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64,68 or 71 can be used to make an antibody against a hydrophobic region ofthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein; fragments of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 which includeresidues within extra cellular domain(s) of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26,29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 can be used to make an antibody against anextracellular or non-cytoplasmic region of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein;fragments of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 which include residues within intracellularregions of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 canbe used to make an antibody against an intracellular region of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein; a fragment of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 which include residueswithin identified or conserved domains of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26,29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71 can be used to make an antibody against theidentified or conserved domain of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Antibodies reactive with, or specific or selective for, any of theseregions, or other regions or domains described herein are provided.

Preferred epitopes encompassed by the antigenic peptide are regions of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 located on the surface of the protein, e.g., hydrophilicregions, as well as regions with high antigenicity. For example, anEmini surface probability analysis of the human 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinsequence can be used to indicate the regions that have a particularlyhigh probability of being localized to the surface of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein and are thus likely to constitute surface residues useful fortargeting antibody production.

In a preferred embodiment the antibody can bind to the extracellularportion of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, e.g., it can bind to a whole cellwhich expresses the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein. In another embodiment, theantibody binds an intracellular portion of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

In a preferred embodiment the antibody binds an epitope on any domain orregion on 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins described herein.

Additionally, chimeric, humanized, and completely human antibodies arealso within the scope of the invention. Chimeric, humanized, but mostpreferably, completely human antibodies are desirable for applicationswhich include repeated administration, e.g., therapeutic treatment ofhuman patients, and some diagnostic applications.

Chimeric and humanized monoclonal antibodies, comprising both human andnon-human portions, can be made using standard recombinant DNAtechniques. Such chimeric and humanized monoclonal antibodies can beproduced by recombinant DNA techniques known in the art, for exampleusing methods described in Robinson et al. International Application No.PCT/US86/02269; Akira, et al. European Patent Application 184,187;Taniguchi, European Patent Application 171,496; Morrison et al. EuropeanPatent Application 173,494; Neuberger et al. PCT InternationalPublication No. WO 86/01533; Cabilly et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567;Cabilly et al. European Patent Application 125,023; Better et al. (1988)Science 240:1041-1043; Liu et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA84:3439-3443; Liu et al. (1987) J. Immunol. 139:3521-3526; Sun et al.(1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:214-218; Nishimura et al. (1987)Canc. Res. 47:999-1005; Wood et al. (1985) Nature 314:446-449; and Shawet al. (1988) J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 80:1553-1559).

A humanized or complementarity determining region (CDR)-grafted antibodywill have at least one or two, but generally all three recipient CDR's(of heavy and or light immuoglobulin chains) replaced with a donor CDR.The antibody may be replaced with at least a portion of a non-human CDRor only some of the CDR's may be replaced with non-human CDR's. It isonly necessary to replace the number of CDR's required for binding ofthe humanized antibody to a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or a fragment thereof.Preferably, the donor will be a rodent antibody, e.g., a rat or mouseantibody, and the recipient will be a human framework or a humanconsensus framework. Typically, the immunoglobulin providing the CDR'sis called the “donor” and the immunoglobulin providing the framework iscalled the “acceptor.” In one embodiment, the donor immunoglobulin is anon-human (e.g., rodent). The acceptor framework is anaturally-occurring (e.g., a human) framework or a consensus framework,or a sequence about 85% or higher, preferably 90%, 95%, 99% or higheridentical thereto.

As used herein, the term “consensus sequence” refers to the sequenceformed from the most frequently occurring amino acids (or nucleotides)in a family of related sequences (See e.g., Winnaker, (1987) From Genesto Clones (Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, Germany). In a family ofproteins, each position in the consensus sequence is occupied by theamino acid occurring most frequently at that position in the family. Iftwo amino acids occur equally frequently, either can be included in theconsensus sequence. A “consensus framework” refers to the frameworkregion in the consensus immunoglobulin sequence.

An antibody can be humanized by methods known in the art. Humanizedantibodies can be generated by replacing sequences of the Fv variableregion which are not directly involved in antigen binding withequivalent sequences from human Fv variable regions. General methods forgenerating humanized antibodies are provided by Morrison (1985) Science229:1202-1207, by Oi et al. (1986) BioTechniques 4:214, and by Queen etal. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,585,089, 5,693,761 and 5,693,762, the contents ofall of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Those methods includeisolating, manipulating, and expressing the nucleic acid sequences thatencode all or part of immunoglobulin Fv variable regions from at leastone of a heavy or light chain. Sources of such nucleic acid are wellknown to those skilled in the art and, for example, may be obtained froma hybridoma producing an antibody against a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide orfragment thereof. The recombinant DNA encoding the humanized antibody,or fragment thereof, can then be cloned into an appropriate expressionvector.

Humanized or CDR-grafted antibodies can be produced by CDR-grafting orCDR substitution, wherein one, two, or all CDR's of an immunoglobulinchain can be replaced. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,539; Jones et al.(1986) Nature 321:552-525; Verhoeyan et al. (1988) Science 239:1534;Beidler et al. (1988) J. Immunol. 141:4053-4060; Winter U.S. Pat. No.5,225,539, the contents of all of which are hereby expresslyincorporated by reference. Winter describes a CDR-grafting method whichmay be used to prepare the humanized antibodies of the present invention(UK Patent Application GB 2188638A, filed on Mar. 26, 1987; Winter U.S.Pat. No. 5,225,539), the contents of which is expressly incorporated byreference.

Also within the scope of the invention are humanized antibodies in whichspecific amino acids have been substituted, deleted or added. Preferredhumanized antibodies have amino acid substitutions in the frameworkregion, such as to improve binding to the antigen. For example, ahumanized antibody will have framework residues identical to the donorframework residue or to another amino acid other than the recipientframework residue. To generate such antibodies, a selected, small numberof acceptor framework residues of the humanized immunoglobulin chain canbe replaced by the corresponding donor amino acids. Preferred locationsof the substitutions include amino acid residues adjacent to the CDR, orwhich are capable of interacting with a CDR (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No.5,585,089). Criteria for selecting amino acids from the donor aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,089, e.g., columns 12-16 of U.S. Pat.No. 5,585,089, the e.g., columns 12-16 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,089, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Other techniquesfor humanizing antibodies are described in Padlan et al. EP 519596 A1,published on Dec. 23, 1992.

Completely human antibodies are particularly desirable for therapeutictreatment of human patients. Such antibodies can be produced usingtransgenic mice that are incapable of expressing endogenousimmunoglobulin heavy and light chains genes, but which can express humanheavy and light chain genes. See, for example, Lonberg and Huszar (1995)Int. Rev. Immunol. 13:65-93); and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,625,126; 5,633,425;5,569,825; 5,661,016; and 5,545,806. In addition, companies such asAbgenix, Inc. (Fremont, Calif.) and Medarex, Inc. (Princeton, N.J.), canbe engaged to provide human antibodies directed against a selectedantigen using technology similar to that described above.

Completely human antibodies that recognize a selected epitope can begenerated using a technique referred to as “guided selection.” In thisapproach a selected non-human monoclonal antibody, e.g., a murineantibody, is used to guide the selection of a completely human antibodyrecognizing the same epitope. This technology is described by Jespers etal. (1994) Bio/Technology 12:899-903).

The anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibody can be a single chain antibody. Asingle-chain antibody (scFV) can be engineered as described in, forexample, Colcher et al. (1999) Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 880:263-80; and Reiter(1996) Clin. Cancer Res. 2:245-52. The single chain antibody can bedimerized or multimerized to generate multivalent antibodies havingspecificities for different epitopes of the same target 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein.

In a preferred embodiment, the antibody has reduced or no ability tobind an Fc receptor. For example, it is an isotype or subtype, fragmentor other mutant, which does not support binding to an Fc receptor, e.g.,it has a mutagenized or deleted Fc receptor binding region.

An antibody (or fragment thereof) may be conjugated to a therapeuticmoiety such as a cytotoxin, a therapeutic agent or a radioactive ion. Acytotoxin or cytotoxic agent includes any agent that is detrimental tocells. Examples include taxol, cytochalasin B, gramicidin D, ethidiumbromide, emetine, mitomycin, etoposide, tenoposide, vincristine,vinblastine, colchicin, doxorubicin, daunorubicin, dihydroxy anthracindione, mitoxantrone, mithramycin, actinomycin D, 1-dehydrotestosterone,glucocorticoids, procaine, tetracaine, lidocaine, propranolol,puromycin, maytansinoids, e.g., maytansinol (see U.S. Pat. No.5,208,020), CC-1065 (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,475,092, 5,585,499, 5,846,545)and analogs or homologs thereof. Therapeutic agents include, but are notlimited to, antimetabolites (e.g., methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine,6-thioguanine, cytarabine, 5-fluorouracil decarbazine), alkylatingagents (e.g., mechlorethamine, thioepa chlorambucil, CC-1065, melphalan,carmustine (BSNU) and lomustine (CCNU), cyclothosphamide, busulfan,dibromomannitol, streptozotocin, mitomycin C, and cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum (II) (DDP) cisplatin), anthracyclines (e.g., daunorubicin(formerly daunomycin) and doxorubicin), antibiotics (e.g., dactinomycin(formerly actinomycin), bleomycin, mithramycin, and anthramycin (AMC)),and anti-mitotic agents (e.g., vincristine, vinblastine, taxol andmaytansinoids).

Radioactive ions include, but are not limited to iodine, yttrium andpraseodymium.

The conjugates of the invention can be used for modifying a givenbiological response, the therapeutic moiety is not to be construed aslimited to classical chemical therapeutic agents. For example, thetherapeutic moiety may be a protein or polypeptide possessing a desiredbiological activity. Such proteins may include, for example, a toxinsuch as abrin, ricin A, pseudomonas exotoxin, or diphtheria toxin; aprotein such as tumor necrosis factor, α-interferon, β-interferon, nervegrowth factor, platelet derived growth factor, tissue plasminogenactivator; or, biological response modifiers such as, for example,lymphokines, interleukin-1 (“IL-1”), interleukin-2 (“IL-2”),interleukin-6 (“IL-6”), granulocyte macrophase colony stimulating factor(“GM-CSF”), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (“G-CSF”), or othergrowth factors.

Alternatively, an antibody can be conjugated to a second antibody toform an antibody heteroconjugate as described by Segal in U.S. Pat. No.4,676,980.

An anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibody (e.g., monoclonal antibody) can be usedto isolate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 by standard techniques, such as affinitychromatography or immunoprecipitation. Moreover, an anti-25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933antibody can be used to detect 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein (e.g., in a cellularlysate or cell supernatant) in order to evaluate the abundance andpattern of expression of the protein. Anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies canbe used diagnostically to monitor protein levels in tissue as part of aclinical testing procedure, e.g., to determine the efficacy of a giventreatment regimen. Detection can be facilitated by coupling (i.e.,physically linking) the antibody to a detectable substance (i.e.,antibody labelling). Examples of detectable substances include variousenzymes, prosthetic groups, fluorescent materials, luminescentmaterials, bioluminescent materials, and radioactive materials. Examplesof suitable enzymes include horseradish peroxidase, alkalinephosphatase, β-galactosidase, or acetylcholinesterase; examples ofsuitable prosthetic group complexes include streptavidin/biotin andavidin/biotin; examples of suitable fluorescent materials includeumbelliferone, fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, rhodamine,dichlorotriazinylamine fluorescein, dansyl chloride or phycoerythrin; anexample of a luminescent material includes luminol; examples ofbioluminescent materials include luciferase, luciferin, and aequorin,and examples of suitable radioactive material include ¹²⁵I, ¹³¹I, ³⁵S or³H.

In preferred embodiments, an antibody can be made by immunizing with apurified 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antigen, or a fragment thereof, e.g., a fragmentdescribed herein, a membrane associated antigen, tissues, e.g., crudetissue preparations, whole cells, preferably living cells, lysed cells,or cell fractions, e.g., membrane fractions.

Antibodies which bind only a native 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, onlydenatured or otherwise non-native 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, or which bindboth, are within the invention. Antibodies with linear or conformationalepitopes are within the invention. Conformational epitopes sometimes canbe identified by identifying antibodies which bind to native but notdenatured 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Recombinant Expression Vectors, Host Cells and Genetically EngineeredCells

In another aspect, the invention includes, vectors, preferablyexpression vectors, containing a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptidedescribed herein. As used herein, the term “vector” refers to a nucleicacid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which ithas been linked and can include a plasmid, cosmid or viral vector. Thevector can be capable of autonomous replication or it can integrate intoa host DNA. Viral vectors include, e.g., replication defectiveretroviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses.

A vector can include a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid in a form suitable forexpression of the nucleic acid in a host cell.

Preferably the recombinant expression vector includes one or moreregulatory sequences operatively linked to the nucleic acid sequence tobe expressed. The term “regulatory sequence” includes promoters,enhancers and other expression control elements (e.g., polyadenylationsignals). Regulatory sequences include those which direct constitutiveexpression of a nucleotide sequence, as well as tissue-specificregulatory and/or inducible sequences. The design of the expressionvector can depend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to betransformed, the level of expression of protein desired, and the like.The expression vectors of the invention can be introduced into hostcells to thereby produce proteins or polypeptides, including fusionproteins or polypeptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein(e.g., 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins, mutant forms of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933proteins, fusion proteins, and the like).

The recombinant expression vectors of the invention can be designed forexpression of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins in prokaryotic or eukaryoticcells. For example, polypeptides of the invention can be expressed in E.coli, insect cells (e.g., using baculovirus expression vectors), yeastcells or mammalian cells. Suitable host cells are discussed further inGoeddel, (1990) Gene Expression Technology: Methods in Enzymology 185,Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. Alternatively, the recombinantexpression vector can be transcribed and translated in vitro, forexample using T7 promoter regulatory sequences and T7 polymerase.

Expression of proteins in prokaryotes is most often carried out in E.coli with vectors containing constitutive or inducible promotersdirecting the expression of either fusion or non-fusion proteins. Fusionvectors add a number of amino acids to a protein encoded therein,usually to the amino terminus of the recombinant protein. Such fusionvectors typically serve three purposes: 1) to increase expression ofrecombinant protein; 2) to increase the solubility of the recombinantprotein; and 3) to aid in the purification of the recombinant protein byacting as a ligand in affinity purification. Often, a proteolyticcleavage site is introduced at the junction of the fusion moiety and therecombinant protein to enable separation of the recombinant protein fromthe fusion moiety subsequent to purification of the fusion protein. Suchenzymes, and their cognate recognition sequences, include Factor Xa,thrombin and enterokinase. Typical fusion expression vectors includepGEX (Pharmacia Biotech Inc; Smith and Johnson (1988) Gene 67:31-40),pMAL (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.) and pRIT5 (Pharmacia,Piscataway, N.J.) which fuse glutathione S-transferase (GST), maltose Ebinding protein, or protein A, respectively, to the target recombinantprotein.

Purified fusion proteins can be used in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activityassays, (e.g., direct assays or competitive assays described in detailbelow), or to generate antibodies specific or selective for 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 proteins. In a preferred embodiment, a fusion protein expressed ina retroviral expression vector of the present invention can be used toinfect bone marrow cells which are subsequently transplanted intoirradiated recipients. The pathology of the subject recipient is thenexamined after sufficient time has passed (e.g., six weeks).

To maximize recombinant protein expression in E. coli is to express theprotein in a host bacteria with an impaired capacity to proteolyticallycleave the recombinant protein (Gottesman (1990) Gene ExpressionTechnology: Methods in Enzymology 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.119-128). Another strategy is to alter the nucleic acid sequence of thenucleic acid to be inserted into an expression vector so that theindividual codons for each amino acid are those preferentially utilizedin E. coli (Wada et al., (1992) Nucleic Acids Res. 20:2111-2118). Suchalteration of nucleic acid sequences of the invention can be carried outby standard DNA synthesis techniques.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 expression vector can be a yeast expressionvector, a vector for expression in insect cells, e.g., a baculovirusexpression vector or a vector suitable for expression in mammaliancells.

When used in mammalian cells, the expression vector's control functionsare often provided by viral regulatory elements. For example, commonlyused promoters are derived from polyoma, Adenovirus 2, cytomegalovirusand Simian Virus 40.

In another embodiment, the recombinant mammalian expression vector iscapable of directing expression of the nucleic acid preferentially in aparticular cell type (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory elements are usedto express the nucleic acid). Non-limiting examples of suitabletissue-specific promoters include the albumin promoter (liver-specific;Pinkert et al. (1987) Genes Dev. 1:268-277), lymphoid-specific promoters(Calame and Eaton (1988) Adv. Immunol. 43:235-275), in particularpromoters of T cell receptors (Winoto and Baltimore (1989) EMBO J.8:729-733) and immunoglobulins (Banerji et al. (1983) Cell 33:729-740;Queen and Baltimore (1983) Cell 33:741-748), neuron-specific promoters(e.g., the neurofilament promoter; Byrne and Ruddle (1989) Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA 86:5473-5477), pancreas-specific promoters (Edlund et al.(1985) Science 230:912-916), and mammary gland-specific promoters (e.g.,milk whey promoter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,316 and European ApplicationPublication No. 264,166). Developmentally-regulated promoters are alsoencompassed, for example, the murine hox promoters (Kessel and Gruss(1990) Science 249:374-379) and the α-fetoprotein promoter (Campes andTilghman (1989) Genes Dev. 3:537-546).

The invention further provides a recombinant expression vectorcomprising a DNA molecule of the invention cloned into the expressionvector in an antisense orientation. Regulatory sequences (e.g., viralpromoters and/or enhancers) operatively linked to a nucleic acid clonedin the antisense orientation can be chosen which direct theconstitutive, tissue specific or cell type specific expression ofantisense RNA in a variety of cell types. The antisense expressionvector can be in the form of a recombinant plasmid, phagemid orattenuated virus. For a discussion of the regulation of gene expressionusing antisense genes see Weintraub et al., (1986) Reviews—Trends inGenetics 1:1.

Another aspect the invention provides a host cell which includes anucleic acid molecule described herein, e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleicacid molecule within a recombinant expression vector or a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleic acid molecule containing sequences which allow it tohomologously recombine into a specific site of the host cell's genome.The terms “host cell” and “recombinant host cell” are usedinterchangeably herein. Such terms refer not only to the particularsubject cell but to the progeny or potential progeny of such a cell.Because certain modifications can occur in succeeding generations due toeither mutation or environmental influences, such progeny may not, infact, be identical to the parent cell, but are still included within thescope of the term as used herein.

A host cell can be any prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. For example, a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein can be expressed in bacterial cells such as E.coli, insect cells, yeast or mammalian cells (such as Chinese hamsterovary (CHO) cells or CV-1 origin, SV-40 (COS) cells). Other suitablehost cells are known to those skilled in the art.

Vector DNA can be introduced into host cells via conventionaltransformation or transfection techniques. As used herein, the terms“transformation” and “transfection” are intended to refer to a varietyof art-recognized techniques for introducing foreign nucleic acid (e.g.,DNA) into a host cell, including calcium phosphate or calcium chlorideco-precipitation, DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection, lipofection, orelectroporation.

A host cell of the invention can be used to produce (i.e., express) a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein. Accordingly, the invention further providesmethods for producing a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein using the host cells of theinvention. In one embodiment, the method includes culturing the hostcell of the invention (into which a recombinant expression vectorencoding a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein has been introduced) in a suitablemedium such that a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein is produced. In anotherembodiment, the method further includes isolating a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinfrom the medium or the host cell.

In another aspect, the invention features, a cell or purifiedpreparation of cells which include a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 transgene, or whichotherwise misexpress 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. The cell preparation can consist ofhuman or non-human cells, e.g., rodent cells, e.g., mouse or rat cells,rabbit cells, or pig cells. In preferred embodiments, the cell or cellsinclude a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 transgene, e.g., a heterologous form of a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933, e.g., a gene derived from humans (in the case of a non-humancell). The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 transgene can be misexpressed, e.g.,overexpressed or underexpressed. In other preferred embodiments, thecell or cells include a gene which misexpresses an endogenous 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933, e.g., a gene the expression of which is disrupted, e.g., aknockout. Such cells can serve as a model for studying disorders whichare related to mutated or misexpressed 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 alleles or foruse in drug screening.

In another aspect, the invention features, a human cell, e.g., ahematopoietic stem cell, transformed with nucleic acid which encodes asubject 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide.

Also provided are cells, preferably human cells, e.g., humanhematopoietic or fibroblast cells, in which an endogenous 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933is under the control of a regulatory sequence that does not normallycontrol the expression of the endogenous 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene. Theexpression characteristics of an endogenous gene within a cell, e.g., acell line or microorganism, can be modified by inserting a heterologousDNA regulatory element into the genome of the cell such that theinserted regulatory element is operably linked to the endogenous 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 gene. For example, an endogenous 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene which is“transcriptionally silent,” e.g., not normally expressed, or expressedonly at very low levels, can be activated by inserting a regulatoryelement which is capable of promoting the expression of a normallyexpressed gene product in that cell. Techniques such as targetedhomologous recombinations, can be used to insert the heterologous DNA asdescribed in, e.g., Chappel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,071; WO 91/06667,published in May 16, 1991.

Transgenic Animals

The invention provides non-human transgenic animals. Such animals areuseful for studying the function and/or activity of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein and for identifying and/or evaluating modulators of 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 activity. As used herein, a “transgenic animal” is a non-humananimal, preferably a mammal, more preferably a rodent such as a rat ormouse, in which one or more of the cells of the animal includes atransgene. Other examples of transgenic animals include non-humanprimates, sheep, dogs, cows, goats, chickens, amphibians, and the like.A transgene is exogenous DNA or a rearrangement, e.g., a deletion ofendogenous chromosomal DNA, which preferably is integrated into oroccurs in the genome of the cells of a transgenic animal. A transgenecan direct the expression of an encoded gene product in one or more celltypes or tissues of the transgenic animal, other transgenes, e.g., aknockout, reduce expression. Thus, a transgenic animal can be one inwhich an endogenous 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene has been altered by, e.g., byhomologous recombination between the endogenous gene and an exogenousDNA molecule introduced into a cell of the animal, e.g., an embryoniccell of the animal, prior to development of the animal.

Intronic sequences and polyadenylation signals can also be included inthe transgene to increase the efficiency of expression of the transgene.A tissue-specific regulatory sequence(s) can be operably linked to atransgene of the invention to direct expression of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein to particular cells. A transgenic founder animal can beidentified based upon the presence of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 transgene inits genome and/or expression of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA in tissues orcells of the animals. A transgenic founder animal can then be used tobreed additional animals carrying the transgene. Moreover, transgenicanimals carrying a transgene encoding a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein canfurther be bred to other transgenic animals carrying other transgenes.

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 proteins or polypeptides can be expressed in transgenicanimals or plants, e.g., a nucleic acid encoding the protein orpolypeptide can be introduced into the genome of an animal. In preferredembodiments the nucleic acid is placed under the control of a tissuespecific promoter, e.g., a milk or egg specific promoter, and recoveredfrom the milk or eggs produced by the animal. Suitable animals are mice,pigs, cows, goats, and sheep.

For example, the following animal models may be used in the methods ofthe invention: the hypertensive transgenic mouse model that lacks fatand has lipoatrophic diabetes (Reitmann, M. L. et al. (1999) Ann. N.Y.Acad. Sci. 192:289-96; Moitra J. et al. (1998) Genes Dev. 12:3168-81); aVEGF transgenic animal model for atherosclerosis and angiogenesis(Sueishi, K. et al. (1997) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 811:311-324); guineapigs, which are used as models for cholesterol and lipoproteinmetabolism, as well as early atherosclerosis development (Fernandez, M.L. (2001) J. Nutr. 131(1):10-20); the macrophage scavenger receptorclass A (SR-A) transgenic mouse, which shows reduced atherosclerosis (DeWinther, M. P. et al. (2000) Int. J. Tissue React. 22(2-3):85-91); theSt. Thomas' Hospital rabbit strain, an animal model with geneticallyelevated plasma levels of VLDL, IDL, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)(Nordestgaard, B. G. et al. (1992) Eur. J. Epidemiol. 8 Suppl 1:92-8);the Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit, the animal modelfor familial hypercholesterolemia (Buja, L. M. et al. (1990) Eur. HeartJ. 11 Suppl E:41-52); atherosclerosis induced in Cynomolgus macaquemonkeys by feeding cholesterol (Weingand, K. W. (1989) Exp. Mol. Pathol.50(1):1-15); atherosclerosis induced by infection with Marek's diseaseherpesvirus in chickens (1999) Am. Heart J. 138(5 Pt 2):S465-8);genetically selected lines of Japanese quail, highly susceptible (SUS)and resistant (RES) to atherosclerosis (1987) Atherosclerosis68(1-2):77-8); the atherosclerotic and hypertensive strain of malebroad-breasted white turkeys (BBWT) (Pagnan, A. (1980) Artery6(4):320-7); diet-induced, apoE deficiency-induced, or LDLreceptor-deficiency induced atherosclerosis in mice (Smith, J. D. (1997)J. Intern. Med. 242(2):99-109); the JCR:LA-corpulent rat, anexperimental model for the obese-diabetic-dyslipidemic syndrome thatmimics the human condition and exhibits spontaneous development ofatherosclerosis and myocardial lesions (Brindley, D. N. (1995)Metabolism 44(2 Suppl 2):23-7); marmosets or other animals treated withcholestyramine or other cholesterol and/or lipid lowering drugs; andnumerous other animal models of atherosclerosis (reviewed in Bocan, T.M. (1998) Curr. Pharm. Des. 4(1):37-52; Fekete, S. (1993) Acta Vet.Hung. 41(1-2):3-9).

Further examples of animals that can be used include the transgenicmouse described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,779 that contains a mutation inan endogenous melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4-R) gene; animals havingmutations which lead to syndromes that include obesity symptoms(described in, for example, Friedman, J. M. et al. (1991) Mamm. Genome1:130-144; Friedman, J. M. and Liebel, R. L. (1992) Cell 69:217-220;Bray, G. A. (1992) Prog. Brain Res. 93:333-341; and Bray, G. A. (1989)Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 5:891-902); the animals described in Stubdal, H. etal. (2000) Mol. Cell. Biol. 20(3):878-82 (the mouse tubby phenotypecharacterized by maturity-onset obesity); the animals described inAbadie, J. M. et al. (2000) Lipids 35(6):613-20 (the obese Zucker rat(ZR), a genetic model of human youth-onset obesity and type 2 diabetesmellitus); the animals described in Shaughnessy, S. et al. (2000)Diabetes 49(6):904-11 (mice null for the adipocyte fatty acid bindingprotein); or the animals described in Loskutoff, D. J. et al. (2000)Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 902:272-81 (the fat mouse). Other examples ofanimals that may be used include non-recombinant, non-genetic animalmodels of obesity such as, for example, rabbit, mouse, or rat models inwhich the animal has been exposed to long-term over-eating.

The invention also includes a population of cells from a transgenicanimal, as discussed, e.g., below.

Uses

The nucleic acid molecules, proteins, protein homologs, and antibodiesdescribed herein can be used in one or more of the following methods: a)screening assays; b) predictive medicine (e.g., diagnostic assays,prognostic assays, monitoring clinical trials, and pharmacogenetics);and c) methods of treatment (e.g., therapeutic and prophylactic).

The isolated nucleic acid molecules of the invention can be used, forexample, to express a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein (e.g., via a recombinantexpression vector in a host cell in gene therapy applications), todetect a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA (e.g., in a biological sample) or a geneticalteration in a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, and to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933activity, as described further below. The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins can beused to treat disorders characterized by insufficient, aberrant orexcessive production of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate or production of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 inhibitors. In addition, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins can beused to screen for naturally occurring 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrates, toscreen for drugs or compounds which modulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, aswell as to treat disorders characterized by insufficient, aberrant orexcessive production of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or production of 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein forms which have decreased, aberrant or unwanted activitycompared to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 wild type protein (e.g., aberrant ordeficient carboxylase activity, fatty acid desaturase activity,serine/threonine dehydratase activity, hexokinase activity, peptidyltRNA hydrolase activity, dual specificity phosphatase activity,phospholipase activity, transporter activity, or other activitydisclosed herein). Moreover, the anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies of theinvention can be used to detect and isolate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins,regulate the bioavailability of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins, and modulate25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 activity.

A method of evaluating a compound for the ability to interact with,e.g., bind, a subject 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide is provided. The methodincludes: contacting the compound with the subject 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide; and evaluating ability of the compound to interact with,e.g., to bind or form a complex with the subject 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide. This method can be performed in vitro, e.g., in a cell freesystem, or in vivo, e.g., in a two-hybrid interaction trap assay. Thismethod can be used to identify naturally occurring molecules whichinteract with subject 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide. It can also be used tofind natural or synthetic inhibitors of subject 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide. Screening methods are discussed in more detail below.

Screening Assays:

The invention provides methods (also referred to herein as “screeningassays”) for identifying modulators, i.e., candidate or test compoundsor agents (e.g., proteins, peptides, peptidomimetics, peptoids, smallmolecules or other drugs) which bind to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins, havea stimulatory or inhibitory effect on, for example, 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, or have a stimulatory orinhibitory effect on, for example, the expression or activity of a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 substrate. Compounds thus identified can be used tomodulate the activity of target gene products (e.g., 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933genes) in a therapeutic protocol, to elaborate the biological functionof the target gene product, or to identify compounds that disrupt normaltarget gene interactions.

In one embodiment, the invention provides assays for screening candidateor test compounds which are substrates of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein orpolypeptide or a biologically active portion thereof. In anotherembodiment, the invention provides assays for screening candidate ortest compounds which bind to or modulate the activity of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein or polypeptide or a biologically active portion thereof.

The test compounds of the present invention can be obtained using any ofthe numerous approaches in combinatorial library methods known in theart, including: biological libraries; peptoid libraries (libraries ofmolecules having the functionalities of peptides, but with a novel,non-peptide backbone which are resistant to enzymatic degradation butwhich nevertheless remain bioactive; see, e.g., Zuckermann et al. (1994)J. Med. Chem. 37:2678-85); spatially addressable parallel solid phase orsolution phase libraries; synthetic library methods requiringdeconvolution; the ‘one-bead one-compound’ library method; and syntheticlibrary methods using affinity chromatography selection. The biologicallibrary and peptoid library approaches are limited to peptide libraries,while the other four approaches are applicable to peptide, non-peptideoligomer or small molecule libraries of compounds (Lam (1997) AnticancerDrug Des. 12:145).

Examples of methods for the synthesis of molecular libraries can befound in the art, for example in: DeWitt et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. U.S.A. 90:6909-13; Erb et al. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA91:11422-426; Zuckermann et al. (1994). J. Med. Chem. 37:2678-85; Cho etal. (1993) Science 261:1303; Carrell et al. (1994) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.Engl. 33:2059; Carell et al. (1994) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 33:2061;and in Gallop et al. (1994) J. Med. Chem. 37:1233-51.

Libraries of compounds can be presented in solution (e.g., Houghten(1992) Biotechniques 13:412-421), or on beads (Lam (1991) Nature354:82-84), chips (Fodor (1993) Nature 364:555-556), bacteria (Ladner,U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,409), spores (Ladner U.S. Pat. No. '409), plasmids(Cull et al. (1992) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:1865-1869) or on phage(Scott and Smith (1990) Science 249:386-390; Devlin (1990) Science249:404-406; Cwirla et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 87:6378-6382;Felici (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 222:301-310; Ladner supra.).

In one embodiment, an assay is a cell-based assay in which a cell whichexpresses a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or biologically active portionthereof is contacted with a test compound, and the ability of the testcompound to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is determined. Determiningthe ability of the test compound to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity can beaccomplished by monitoring, for example, carboxylase activity, fattyacid desaturase activity, serine/threonine dehydratase activity,hexokinase activity, peptidyl tRNA hydrolase activity, dual specificityphosphatase activity, phospholipase activity, transporter activity, orother activity disclosed herein. The cell, for example, can be ofmammalian origin, e.g., human.

The ability of the test compound to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 binding to acompound, e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate, or to bind to 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 can also be evaluated. This can be accomplished, for example, bycoupling the compound, e.g., the substrate, with a radioisotope orenzymatic label such that binding of the compound, e.g., the substrate,to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 can be determined by detecting the labeled compound,e.g., substrate, in a complex. Alternatively, 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 could becoupled with a radioisotope or enzymatic label to monitor the ability ofa test compound to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 binding to a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933substrate in a complex. For example, compounds (e.g., 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933substrates) can be labeled with ¹²⁵I, ¹⁴C, ³⁵S or ³H, either directly orindirectly, and the radioisotope detected by direct counting ofradioemmission or by scintillation counting. Alternatively, compoundscan be enzymatically labeled with, for example, horseradish peroxidase,alkaline phosphatase, or luciferase, and the enzymatic label detected bydetermination of conversion of an appropriate substrate to product.

The ability of a compound (e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate) to interactwith 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 with or without the labeling of any of theinteractants can be evaluated. For example, a microphysiometer can beused to detect the interaction of a compound with 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 withoutthe labeling of either the compound or the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. McConnell etal. (1992) Science 257:1906-1912. As used herein, a “microphysiometer”(e.g., Cytosensor) is an analytical instrument that measures the rate atwhich a cell acidifies its environment using a light-addressablepotentiometric sensor (LAPS). Changes in this acidification rate can beused as an indicator of the interaction between a compound and 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933.

In yet another embodiment, a cell-free assay is provided in which a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein or biologically active portion thereof iscontacted with a test compound and the ability of the test compound tobind to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or biologically active portionthereof is evaluated. Preferred biologically active portions of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 proteins to be used in assays of the present inventioninclude fragments which participate in interactions with non-25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 molecules, e.g., fragments with high surface probability scores.

Soluble and/or membrane-bound forms of isolated proteins (e.g., 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 proteins or biologically active portions thereof) can be used inthe cell-free assays of the invention. When membrane-bound forms of theprotein are used, it may be desirable to utilize a solubilizing agent.Examples of such solubilizing agents include non-ionic detergents suchas n-octylglucoside, n-dodecylglucoside, n-dodecylmaltoside,octanoyl-N-methylglucamide, decanoyl-N-methylglucamide, Triton® X-100,Triton® X-114, Thesit®, Isotridecypoly(ethylene glycol ether)_(n),3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylamminio]-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPS),3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylamminio]-2-hydroxy-1-propane sulfonate(CHAPSO), or N-dodecyl=N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propane sulfonate.

Cell-free assays involve preparing a reaction mixture of the target geneprotein and the test compound under conditions and for a time sufficientto allow the two components to interact and bind, thus forming a complexthat can be removed and/or detected.

The interaction between two molecules can also be detected, e.g., usingfluorescence energy transfer (FET) (see, for example, Lakowicz et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,169; Stavrianopoulos, et al., U.S. Pat. No.4,868,103). A fluorophore label on the first, ‘donor’ molecule isselected such that its emitted fluorescent energy will be absorbed by afluorescent label on a second, ‘acceptor’ molecule, which in turn isable to fluoresce due to the absorbed energy. Alternately, the ‘donor’protein molecule can simply utilize the natural fluorescent energy oftryptophan residues. Labels are chosen that emit different wavelengthsof light, such that the ‘acceptor’ molecule label can be differentiatedfrom that of the ‘donor’. Since the efficiency of energy transferbetween the labels is related to the distance separating the molecules,the spatial relationship between the molecules can be assessed. In asituation in which binding occurs between the molecules, the fluorescentemission of the ‘acceptor’ molecule label in the assay should bemaximal. An FET binding event can be conveniently measured throughstandard fluorometric detection means well known in the art (e.g., usinga fluorimeter).

In another embodiment, determining the ability of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein to bind to a target molecule can be accomplished using real-timeBiomolecular Interaction Analysis (BIA) (see, e.g., Sjolander andUrbaniczky (1991) Anal. Chem. 63:2338-2345 and Szabo et al. (1995) Curr.Opin. Struct. Biol. 5:699-705). “Surface plasmon resonance” or “BIA”detects biospecific interactions in real time, without labeling any ofthe interactants (e.g., BIAcore). Changes in the mass at the bindingsurface (indicative of a binding event) result in alterations of therefractive index of light near the surface (the optical phenomenon ofsurface plasmon resonance (SPR)), resulting in a detectable signal whichcan be used as an indication of real-time reactions between biologicalmolecules.

In one embodiment, the target gene product or the test substance isanchored onto a solid phase. The target gene product/test compoundcomplexes anchored on the solid phase can be detected at the end of thereaction. Preferably, the target gene product can be anchored onto asolid surface, and the test compound, (which is not anchored), can belabeled, either directly or indirectly, with detectable labels discussedherein.

It may be desirable to immobilize either 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, an anti-25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 antibody or its target molecule to facilitate separation ofcomplexed from uncomplexed forms of one or both of the proteins, as wellas to accommodate automation of the assay. Binding of a test compound toa 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein, or interaction of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein with atarget molecule in the presence and absence of a candidate compound, canbe accomplished in any vessel suitable for containing the reactants.Examples of such vessels include microtiter plates, test tubes, andmicro-centrifuge tubes. In one embodiment, a fusion protein can beprovided which adds a domain that allows one or both of the proteins tobe bound to a matrix. For example, glutathione-S-transferase/25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 fusion proteins or glutathione-S-transferase/target fusionproteins can be adsorbed onto glutathione sepharose beads (SigmaChemical, St. Louis, Mo.) or glutathione derivatized microtiter plates,which are then combined with the test compound or the test compound andeither the non-adsorbed target protein or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, andthe mixture incubated under conditions conducive to complex formation(e.g., at physiological conditions for salt and pH).

Following incubation, the beads or microtiter plate wells are washed toremove any unbound components, the matrix immobilized in the case ofbeads, complex determined either directly or indirectly, for example, asdescribed above. Alternatively, the complexes can be dissociated fromthe matrix, and the level of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 binding or activitydetermined using standard techniques.

Other techniques for immobilizing either a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or atarget molecule on matrices include using conjugation of biotin andstreptavidin. Biotinylated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or target moleculescan be prepared from biotin-NHS (N-hydroxy-succinimide) using techniquesknown in the art (e.g., biotinylation kit, Pierce Chemicals, Rockford,Ill.), and immobilized in the wells of streptavidin-coated 96 wellplates (Pierce Chemical).

In order to conduct the assay, the non-immobilized component is added tothe coated surface containing the anchored component. After the reactionis complete, unreacted components are removed (e.g., by washing) underconditions such that any complexes formed will remain immobilized on thesolid surface. The detection of complexes anchored on the solid surfacecan be accomplished in a number of ways. Where the previouslynon-immobilized component is pre-labeled, the detection of labelimmobilized on the surface indicates that complexes were formed. Wherethe previously non-immobilized component is not pre-labeled, an indirectlabel can be used to detect complexes anchored on the surface; e.g.,using a labeled antibody specific or selective for the immobilizedcomponent (the antibody, in turn, can be directly labeled or indirectlylabeled with, e.g., a labeled anti-Ig antibody).

In one embodiment, this assay is performed utilizing antibodies reactivewith 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or target molecules but which do notinterfere with binding of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein to its targetmolecule. Such antibodies can be derivatized to the wells of the plate,and unbound target or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein trapped in the wells byantibody conjugation. Methods for detecting such complexes, in additionto those described above for the GST-immobilized complexes, includeimmunodetection of complexes using antibodies reactive with the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein or target molecule, as well as enzyme-linked assays whichrely on detecting an enzymatic activity associated with the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein or target molecule.

Alternatively, cell free assays can be conducted in a liquid phase. Insuch an assay, the reaction products are separated from unreactedcomponents, by any of a number of standard techniques, including but notlimited to: differential centrifugation (see, for example, Rivas andMinton (1993) Trends Biochem Sci 18:284-7); chromatography (gelfiltration chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography); electrophoresis(see, e.g., Ausubel et al., eds. (1999) Current Protocols in MolecularBiology, J. Wiley, New York.); and immunoprecipitation (see, forexample, Ausubel et al., eds. (1999) Current Protocols in MolecularBiology, J. Wiley, New York). Such resins and chromatographic techniquesare known to one skilled in the art (see, e.g., Heegaard (1998) J MolRecognit 11:141-8; Hage and Tweed (1997) J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl.699:499-525). Further, fluorescence energy transfer can also beconveniently utilized, as described herein, to detect binding withoutfurther purification of the complex from solution.

In a preferred embodiment, the assay includes contacting the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein or biologically active portion thereof with a knowncompound which binds 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 to form an assay mixture, contactingthe assay mixture with a test compound, and determining the ability ofthe test compound to interact with a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein, whereindetermining the ability of the test compound to interact with a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein includes determining the ability of the test compound topreferentially bind to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or biologically active portionthereof, or to modulate the activity of a target molecule, as comparedto the known compound.

The target gene products of the invention can, in vivo, interact withone or more cellular or extracellular macromolecules, such as proteins.For the purposes of this discussion, such cellular and extracellularmacromolecules are referred to herein as “binding partners.” Compoundsthat disrupt such interactions can be useful in regulating the activityof the target gene product. Such compounds can include, but are notlimited to molecules such as antibodies, peptides, and small molecules.The preferred target genes/products for use in this embodiment are the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 genes herein identified. In an alternative embodiment,the invention provides methods for determining the ability of the testcompound to modulate the activity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein throughmodulation of the activity of a downstream effector of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933target molecule. For example, the activity of the effector molecule onan appropriate target can be determined, or the binding of the effectorto an appropriate target can be determined, as previously described.

To identify compounds that interfere with the interaction between thetarget gene product and its cellular or extracellular bindingpartner(s), a reaction mixture containing the target gene product andthe binding partner is prepared, under conditions and for a timesufficient, to allow the two products to form complex. In order to testan inhibitory agent, the reaction mixture is provided in the presenceand absence of the test compound. The test compound can be initiallyincluded in the reaction mixture, or can be added at a time subsequentto the addition of the target gene and its cellular or extracellularbinding partner. Control reaction mixtures are incubated without thetest compound or with a placebo. The formation of any complexes betweenthe target gene product and the cellular or extracellular bindingpartner is then detected. The formation of a complex in the controlreaction, but not in the reaction mixture containing the test compound,indicates that the compound interferes with the interaction of thetarget gene product and the interactive binding partner.

Additionally, complex formation within reaction mixtures containing thetest compound and normal target gene product can also be compared tocomplex formation within reaction mixtures containing the test compoundand mutant target gene product. This comparison can be important inthose cases wherein it is desirable to identify compounds that disruptinteractions of mutant but not normal target gene products.

These assays can be conducted in a heterogeneous or homogeneous format.Heterogeneous assays involve anchoring either the target gene product orthe binding partner onto a solid phase, and detecting complexes anchoredon the solid phase at the end of the reaction. In homogeneous assays,the entire reaction is carried out in a liquid phase. In eitherapproach, the order of addition of reactants can be varied to obtaindifferent information about the compounds being tested. For example,test compounds that interfere with the interaction between the targetgene products and the binding partners, e.g., by competition, can beidentified by conducting the reaction in the presence of the testsubstance. Alternatively, test compounds that disrupt preformedcomplexes, e.g., compounds with higher binding constants that displaceone of the components from the complex, can be tested by adding the testcompound to the reaction mixture after complexes have been formed. Thevarious formats are briefly described below.

In a heterogeneous assay system, either the target gene product or theinteractive cellular or extracellular binding partner, is anchored ontoa solid surface (e.g., a microtiter plate), while the non-anchoredspecies is labeled, either directly or indirectly. The anchored speciescan be immobilized by non-covalent or covalent attachments.Alternatively, an immobilized antibody specific or selective for thespecies to be anchored can be used to anchor the species to the solidsurface.

In order to conduct the assay, the partner of the immobilized species isexposed to the coated surface with or without the test compound. Afterthe reaction is complete, unreacted components are removed (e.g., bywashing) and any complexes formed will remain immobilized on the solidsurface. Where the non-immobilized species is pre-labeled, the detectionof label immobilized on the surface indicates that complexes wereformed. Where the non-immobilized species is not pre-labeled, anindirect label can be used to detect complexes anchored on the surface;e.g., using a labeled antibody specific or selective for the initiallynon-immobilized species (the antibody, in turn, can be directly labeledor indirectly labeled with, e.g., a labeled anti-Ig antibody). Dependingupon the order of addition of reaction components, test compounds thatinhibit complex formation or that disrupt preformed complexes can bedetected.

Alternatively, the reaction can be conducted in a liquid phase in thepresence or absence of the test compound, the reaction productsseparated from unreacted components, and complexes detected; e.g., usingan immobilized antibody specific or selective for one of the bindingcomponents to anchor any complexes formed in solution, and a labeledantibody specific or selective for the other partner to detect anchoredcomplexes. Again, depending upon the order of addition of reactants tothe liquid phase, test compounds that inhibit complex or that disruptpreformed complexes can be identified.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, a homogeneous assay can beused. For example, a preformed complex of the target gene product andthe interactive cellular or extracellular binding partner product isprepared in that either the target gene products or their bindingpartners are labeled, but the signal generated by the label is quencheddue to complex formation (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,496 thatutilizes this approach for immunoassays). The addition of a testsubstance that competes with and displaces one of the species from thepreformed complex will result in the generation of a signal abovebackground. In this way, test substances that disrupt target geneproduct-binding partner interaction can be identified.

In yet another aspect, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteins can be used as “baitproteins” in a two-hybrid assay or three-hybrid assay (see, e.g., U.S.Pat. No. 5,283,317; Zervos et al. (1993) Cell 72:223-232; Madura et al.(1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268:12046-12054; Bartel et al. (1993)Biotechniques 14:920-924; Iwabuchi et al. (1993) Oncogene 8:1693-1696;and Brent WO94/10300), to identify other proteins, which bind to orinteract with 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 (“25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-binding proteins” or “25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-bp”) and are involved in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity. Such 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-bps can be activators or inhibitors of signals by the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 proteins or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 targets as, for example, downstreamelements of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-mediated signaling pathway.

The two-hybrid system is based on the modular nature of mosttranscription factors, which consist of separable DNA-binding andactivation domains. Briefly, the assay utilizes two different DNAconstructs. In one construct, the gene that codes for a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein is fused to a gene encoding the DNA binding domain of a knowntranscription factor (e.g., GAL-4). In the other construct, a DNAsequence, from a library of DNA sequences, that encodes an unidentifiedprotein (“prey” or “sample”) is fused to a gene that codes for theactivation domain of the known transcription factor. (Alternatively the:25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein can be the fused to the activator domain.) If the“bait” and the “prey” proteins are able to interact, in vivo, forming a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-dependent complex, the DNA-binding and activation domainsof the transcription factor are brought into close proximity. Thisproximity allows transcription of a reporter gene (e.g., lacZ) which isoperably linked to a transcriptional regulatory site responsive to thetranscription factor. Expression of the reporter gene can be detectedand cell colonies containing the functional transcription factor can beisolated and used to obtain the cloned gene which encodes the proteinwhich interacts with the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

In another embodiment, modulators of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 expression areidentified. For example, a cell or cell free mixture is contacted with acandidate compound and the expression of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or proteinevaluated relative to the level of expression of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA orprotein in the absence of the candidate compound. When expression of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein is greater in the presence of thecandidate compound than in its absence, the candidate compound isidentified as a stimulator of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein expression.Alternatively, when expression of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein isless (statistically significantly less) in the presence of the candidatecompound than in its absence, the candidate compound is identified as aninhibitor of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein expression. The level of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein expression can be determined by methodsdescribed herein for detecting 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or protein.

In another aspect, the invention pertains to a combination of two ormore of the assays described herein. For example, a modulating agent canbe identified using a cell-based or a cell free assay, and the abilityof the agent to modulate the activity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can beconfirmed in vivo, e.g., in an animal such as an animal model foraberrant or deficient carboxylase activity, fatty acid desaturaseactivity, serine/threonine dehydratase activity, hexokinase activity,peptidyl tRNA hydrolase activity; dual specificity phosphatase activity,phospholipase activity, transporter activity, or other activitydisclosed herein.

This invention further pertains to novel agents identified by theabove-described screening assays. Accordingly, it is within the scope ofthis invention to further use an agent identified as described herein(e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 modulating agent, an antisense 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleic acid molecule, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-specific antibody, or a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-binding partner) in an appropriate animal model todetermine the efficacy, toxicity, side effects, or mechanism of action,of treatment with such an agent. Furthermore, novel agents identified bythe above-described screening assays can be used for treatments asdescribed herein.

Detection Assays

Portions or fragments of the nucleic acid sequences identified hereincan be used as polynucleotide reagents. For example, these sequences canbe used to: (i) map their respective genes on a chromosome e.g., tolocate gene regions associated with genetic disease or to associate25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 with a disease; (ii) identify an individual from a minutebiological sample (tissue typing); and (iii) aid in forensicidentification of a biological sample. These applications are describedin the subsections below.

Chromosome Mapping

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleotide sequences or portions thereof can beused to map the location of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes on a chromosome.This process is called chromosome mapping. Chromosome mapping is usefulin correlating the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequences with genes associated withdisease.

Briefly, 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 genes can be mapped to chromosomes by preparingPCR primers (preferably 15-25 bp in length) from the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933nucleotide sequences. These primers can then be used for PCR screeningof somatic cell hybrids containing individual human chromosomes. Onlythose hybrids containing the human gene corresponding to the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 sequences will yield an amplified fragment.

A panel of somatic cell hybrids in which each cell line contains eithera single human chromosome or a small number of human chromosomes, and afull set of mouse chromosomes, can allow easy mapping of individualgenes to specific human chromosomes. (D'Eustachio et al. (1983) Science220:919-924).

Other mapping strategies e.g., in situ hybridization (described in Fanet al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87:6223-27), pre-screeningwith labeled flow-sorted chromosomes, and pre-selection by hybridizationto chromosome specific cDNA libraries can be used to map 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933to a chromosomal location.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of a DNA sequence to ametaphase chromosomal spread can further be used to provide a precisechromosomal location in one step. The FISH technique can be used with aDNA sequence as short as 500 or 600 bases. However, clones larger than1,000 bases have a higher likelihood of binding to a unique chromosomallocation with sufficient signal intensity for simple detection.Preferably 1,000 bases, and more preferably 2,000 bases will suffice toget good results at a reasonable amount of time. For a review of thistechnique, see Verma et al. (1988) Human Chromosomes: A Manual of BasicTechniques, Pergamon Press, New York).

Reagents for chromosome mapping can be used individually to mark asingle chromosome or a single site on that chromosome, or panels ofreagents can be used for marking multiple sites and/or multiplechromosomes. Reagents corresponding to noncoding regions of the genesactually are preferred for mapping purposes. Coding sequences are morelikely to be conserved within gene families, thus increasing the chanceof cross hybridizations during chromosomal mapping.

Once a sequence has been mapped to a precise chromosomal location, thephysical position of the sequence on the chromosome can be correlatedwith genetic map data. (Such data are found, for example, in McKusick,Mendelian Inheritance in Man, available on-line through Johns HopkinsUniversity Welch Medical Library). The relationship between a gene and adisease, mapped to the same chromosomal region, can then be identifiedthrough linkage analysis (co-inheritance of physically adjacent genes),described in, for example, Egeland et al. (1987) Nature, 325:783-787.

Moreover, differences in the DNA sequences between individuals affectedand unaffected with a disease associated with the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene,can be determined. If a mutation is observed in some or all of theaffected individuals but not in any unaffected individuals, then themutation is likely to be the causative agent of the particular disease.Comparison of affected and unaffected individuals generally involvesfirst looking for structural alterations in the chromosomes, such asdeletions or translocations that are visible from chromosome spreads ordetectable using PCR based on that DNA sequence. Ultimately, completesequencing of genes from several individuals can be performed to confirmthe presence of a mutation and to distinguish mutations frompolymorphisms.

Tissue Typing

25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 sequences can be used to identify individuals frombiological samples using, e.g., restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP). In this technique, an individual's genomic DNA is digested withone or more restriction enzymes, the fragments separated, e.g., in aSouthern blot, and probed to yield bands for identification. Thesequences of the present invention are useful as additional DNA markersfor RFLP (described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,057).

Furthermore, the sequences of the present invention can also be used todetermine the actual base-by-base DNA sequence of selected portions ofan individual's genome. Thus, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleotide sequencesdescribed herein can be used to prepare two PCR primers from the 5′ and3′ ends of the sequences. These primers can then be used to amplify anindividual's DNA and subsequently sequence it. Panels of correspondingDNA sequences from individuals, prepared in this manner, can provideunique individual identifications, as each individual will have a uniqueset of such DNA sequences due to allelic differences.

Allelic variation occurs to some degree in the coding regions of thesesequences, and to a greater degree in the noncoding regions. Each of thesequences described herein can, to some degree, be used as a standardagainst which DNA from an individual can be compared for identificationpurposes. Because greater numbers of polymorphisms occur in thenoncoding regions, fewer sequences are necessary to differentiateindividuals. The noncoding sequences of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28,35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 can provide positive individual identificationwith a panel of perhaps 10 to 1,000 primers which each yield a noncodingamplified sequence of 100 bases. If predicted coding sequences, such asthose in SEQ ID NO:3, 9, 18, 22, 27, 30, 37, 41, 44, 65, 69 or 72 areused, a more appropriate number of primers for positive individualidentification would be 500-2,000.

If a panel of reagents from 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleotide sequencesdescribed herein is used to generate a unique identification databasefor an individual, those same reagents can later be used to identifytissue from that individual. Using the unique identification database,positive identification of the individual, living or dead, can be madefrom extremely small tissue samples.

Use of Partial 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 Sequences in Forensic Biology

DNA-based identification techniques can also be used in forensicbiology. To make such an identification, PCR technology can be used toamplify DNA sequences taken from very small biological samples such astissues, e.g., hair or skin, or body fluids, e.g., blood, saliva, orsemen found at a crime scene. The amplified sequence can then becompared to a standard, thereby allowing identification of the origin ofthe biological sample.

The sequences of the present invention can be used to providepolynucleotide reagents, e.g., PCR primers, targeted to specific loci inthe human genome, which can enhance the reliability of DNA-basedforensic identifications by, for example, providing another“identification marker” (i.e. another DNA sequence that is unique to aparticular individual). As mentioned above, actual base sequenceinformation can be used for identification as an accurate alternative topatterns formed by restriction enzyme generated fragments. Sequencestargeted to noncoding regions of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39,42, 63, 67 or 70 (e.g., fragments derived from the noncoding regions ofSEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 having a lengthof at least 20 bases, preferably at least 30 bases) are particularlyappropriate for this use.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleotide sequences described herein can furtherbe used to provide polynucleotide reagents, e.g., labeled or labelableprobes which can be used in, for example, an in situ hybridizationtechnique, to identify a specific tissue. This can be very useful incases where a forensic pathologist is presented with a tissue of unknownorigin. Panels of such 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 probes can be used to identifytissue by species and/or by organ type.

In a similar fashion, these reagents, e.g., 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 primers orprobes can be used to screen tissue culture for contamination (i.e.screen for the presence of a mixture of different types of cells in aculture).

Predictive Medicine

The present invention also pertains to the field of predictive medicinein which diagnostic assays, prognostic assays, and monitoring clinicaltrials are used for prognostic (predictive) purposes to thereby treat anindividual.

Generally, the invention provides, a method of determining if a subjectis at risk for a disorder related to a lesion in or the misexpression ofa gene which encodes 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. Such disorders include, e.g., adisorder associated with the misexpression of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene;cellular proliferative and/or differentiative disorders, angiogenicdisorders, brain disorders, neurological disorders, blood vesseldisorders, breast disorders, colon disorders, kidney disorders, lungdisorders, ovarian disorders, prostate disorders, hematopoeiticdisorders, pancreatic disorders, skeletal muscle disorders, skindisorders, hormonal disorders, immune e.g., inflammatory, disorders,cardiovascular disorders, lipid homeostasis disorders, endothelial celldisorders, liver disorders, disorders of the small intestine, paindisorders, viral diseases, metabolic disorders, bone metabolismdisorders or platelet disorders.

The method includes one or more of the following: detecting, in a tissueof the subject, the presence or absence of a mutation which affects theexpression of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, or detecting the presence orabsence of a mutation in a region which controls the expression of thegene, e.g., a mutation in the 5′ control region; detecting, in a tissueof the subject, the presence or absence of a mutation which alters thestructure of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; detecting, in a tissue of thesubject, the misexpression of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, at the mRNAlevel, e.g., detecting a non-wild type level of an mRNA; or detecting,in a tissue of the subject, the misexpression of the gene, at theprotein level, e.g., detecting a non-wild type level of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide.

In preferred embodiments the method includes: ascertaining the existenceof at least one of: a deletion of one or more nucleotides from the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 gene; an insertion of one or more nucleotides into thegene, a point mutation, e.g., a substitution of one or more nucleotidesof the gene, a gross chromosomal rearrangement of the gene, e.g., atranslocation, inversion, or deletion.

For example, detecting the genetic lesion can include: (i) providing aprobe/primer including an oligonucleotide containing a region ofnucleotide sequence which hybridizes to a sense or antisense sequencefrom SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70, ornaturally occurring mutants thereof or 5′ or 3′ flanking sequencesnaturally associated with the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; (ii) exposing theprobe/primer to nucleic acid of the tissue; and detecting, byhybridization, e.g., in situ hybridization, of the probe/primer to thenucleic acid, the presence or absence of the genetic lesion.

In preferred embodiments detecting the misexpression includesascertaining the existence of at least one of: an alteration in thelevel of a messenger RNA transcript of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; thepresence of a non-wild type splicing pattern of a messenger RNAtranscript of the gene; or a non-wild type level of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933.

Methods of the invention can be used prenatally or to determine if asubject's offspring will be at risk for a disorder.

In preferred embodiments the method includes determining the structureof a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, an abnormal structure being indicative ofrisk for the disorder.

In preferred embodiments the method includes contacting a sample fromthe subject with an antibody to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or a nucleicacid, which hybridizes specifically with the gene. These and otherembodiments are discussed below.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Assays

The presence, level, or absence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleicacid in a biological sample can be evaluated by obtaining a biologicalsample from a test subject and contacting the biological sample with acompound or an agent capable of detecting 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein ornucleic acid (e.g., mRNA, genomic DNA) that encodes 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinsuch that the presence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleic acid isdetected in the biological sample. The term “biological sample” includestissues, cells and biological fluids isolated from a subject, as well astissues, cells and fluids present within a subject. A preferredbiological sample is serum. The level of expression of the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene can be measured in a number of ways, including, but not limited to:measuring the mRNA encoded by the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes; measuring theamount of protein encoded by the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes; or measuringthe activity of the protein encoded by the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes.

The level of mRNA corresponding to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene in a cellcan be determined both by in situ and by in vitro formats.

The isolated mRNA can be used in hybridization or amplification assaysthat include, but are not limited to, Southern or Northern analyses,polymerase chain reaction analyses and probe arrays. One preferreddiagnostic method for the detection of mRNA levels involves contactingthe isolated mRNA with a nucleic acid molecule (probe) that canhybridize to the mRNA encoded by the gene being detected. The nucleicacid probe can be, for example, a full-length 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleicacid, such as the nucleic acid of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35,39, 42, 63, 67 or 70, or a portion thereof, such as an oligonucleotideof at least 7, 15, 30, 50, 100, 250 or 500 nucleotides in length andsufficient to specifically hybridize under stringent conditions to25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 mRNA or genomic DNA. Other suitable probes for use in thediagnostic assays are described herein.

In one format, mRNA (or cDNA) is immobilized on a surface and contactedwith the probes, for example by running the isolated mRNA on an agarosegel and transferring the mRNA from the gel to a membrane, such asnitrocellulose. In an alternative format, the probes are immobilized ona surface and the mRNA (or cDNA) is contacted with the probes, forexample, in a two-dimensional gene chip array. A skilled artisan canadapt known mRNA detection methods for use in detecting the level ofmRNA encoded by the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes.

The level of mRNA in a sample that is encoded by one of 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933can be evaluated with nucleic acid amplification, e.g., by rtPCR (Mullis(1987) U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,202), ligase chain reaction (Barany (1991)Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:189-193), self sustained sequencereplication (Guatelli et al., (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA87:1874-1878), transcriptional amplification system (Kwoh et al.,(1989), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:1173-1177), Q-Beta Replicase(Lizardi et al., (1988) Bio/Technology 6:1197), rolling circlereplication (Lizardi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,033) or any othernucleic acid amplification method, followed by the detection of theamplified molecules using techniques known in the art. As used herein,amplification primers are defined as being a pair of nucleic acidmolecules that can anneal to 5′ or 3′ regions of a gene (plus and minusstrands, respectively, or vice-versa) and contain a short region inbetween. In general, amplification primers are from about 10 to 30nucleotides in length and flank a region from about 50 to 200nucleotides in length. Under appropriate conditions and with appropriatereagents, such primers permit the amplification of a nucleic acidmolecule comprising the nucleotide sequence flanked by the primers.

For in situ methods, a cell or tissue sample can be prepared/processedand immobilized on a support, typically a glass slide, and thencontacted with a probe that can hybridize to mRNA that encodes the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 gene being analyzed.

In another embodiment, the methods further contacting a control samplewith a compound or agent capable of detecting 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA, orgenomic DNA, and comparing the presence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA or genomicDNA in the control sample with the presence of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA orgenomic DNA in the test sample.

A variety of methods can be used to determine the level of proteinencoded by 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. In general, these methods includecontacting an agent that selectively binds to the protein, such as anantibody with a sample, to evaluate the level of protein in the sample.In a preferred embodiment, the antibody bears a detectable label.Antibodies can be polyclonal, or more preferably, monoclonal. An intactantibody, or a fragment thereof (e.g., Fab or F(ab′)₂) can be used. Theterm “labeled”, with regard to the probe or antibody, is intended toencompass direct labeling of the probe or antibody by coupling (i.e.,physically linking) a detectable substance to the probe or antibody, aswell as indirect labeling of the probe or antibody by reactivity with adetectable substance. Examples of detectable substances are providedherein.

The detection methods can be used to detect 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein in abiological sample in vitro as well as in vivo. In vitro techniques fordetection of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein include enzyme linked immunosorbentassays (ELISAs), immunoprecipitations, immunofluorescence, enzymeimmunoassay (EIA), radioimmunoassay (RIA), and Western blot analysis. Invivo techniques for detection of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein includeintroducing into a subject a labeled anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibody. Forexample, the antibody can be labeled with a radioactive marker whosepresence and location in a subject can be detected by standard imagingtechniques.

In another embodiment, the methods further include contacting thecontrol sample with a compound or agent capable of detecting 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein, and comparing the presence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein in thecontrol sample with the presence of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein in the testsample.

The invention also includes kits for detecting the presence of 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 in a biological sample. For example, the kit can include acompound or agent capable of detecting 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or mRNAin a biological sample; and a standard. The compound or agent can bepackaged in a suitable container. The kit can further compriseinstructions for using the kit to detect 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein ornucleic acid.

For antibody-based kits, the kit can include: (1) a first antibody(e.g., attached to a solid support) which binds to a polypeptidecorresponding to a marker of the invention; and, optionally, (2) asecond, different antibody which binds to either the polypeptide or thefirst antibody and is conjugated to a detectable agent.

For oligonucleotide-based kits, the kit can include: (1) anoligonucleotide, e.g., a detectably labeled oligonucleotide, whichhybridizes to a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptidecorresponding to a marker of the invention or (2) a pair of primersuseful for amplifying a nucleic acid molecule corresponding to a markerof the invention. The kit can also includes a buffering agent, apreservative, or a protein stabilizing agent. The kit can also includescomponents necessary for detecting the detectable agent (e.g., an enzymeor a substrate). The kit can also contain a control sample or a seriesof control samples which can be assayed and compared to the test samplecontained. Each component of the kit can be enclosed within anindividual container and all of the various containers can be within asingle package, along with instructions for interpreting the results ofthe assays performed using the kit.

The diagnostic methods described herein can identify subjects having, orat risk of developing, a disease or disorder associated withmisexpressed or aberrant or unwanted 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 expression oractivity. As used herein, the term “unwanted” includes an unwantedphenomenon involved in a biological response such as pain or deregulatedcell proliferation.

In one embodiment, a disease or disorder associated with aberrant orunwanted 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 expression or activity is identified. A testsample is obtained from a subject and 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleicacid (e.g., mRNA or genomic DNA) is evaluated, wherein the level, e.g.,the presence or absence, of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleic acid isdiagnostic for a subject having or at risk of developing a disease ordisorder associated with aberrant or unwanted 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression or activity. As used herein, a “test sample” refers to abiological sample obtained from a subject of interest, including abiological fluid (e.g., serum), cell sample, or tissue.

The prognostic assays described herein can be used to determine whethera subject can be administered an agent (e.g., an agonist, antagonist,peptidomimetic, protein, peptide, nucleic acid, small molecule, or otherdrug candidate) to treat a disease or disorder associated with aberrantor unwanted 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 expression or activity. For example, suchmethods can be used to determine whether a subject can be effectivelytreated with an agent for a cellular proliferative and/ordifferentiative disorders, angiogenic disorders, brain disorders,neurological disorders, blood vessel disorders, breast disorders, colondisorders, kidney disorders, lung disorders, ovarian disorders, prostatedisorders, hematopoeitic disorders, pancreatic disorders, skeletalmuscle disorders, skin disorders, hormonal disorders, immune e.g.,inflammatory, disorders, cardiovascular disorders, lipid homeostasisdisorders, endothelial cell disorders, liver disorders, disorders of thesmall intestine, pain disorders, viral diseases, metabolic disorders,bone metabolism disorders or platelet disorders.

The methods of the invention can also be used to detect geneticalterations in a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, thereby determining if a subject withthe altered gene is at risk for a disorder characterized bymisregulation in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein activity or nucleic acidexpression, such as a cellular proliferative and/or differentiativedisorders, angiogenic disorders, brain disorders, neurologicaldisorders, blood vessel disorders, breast disorders, colon disorders,kidney disorders, lung disorders, ovarian disorders, prostate disorders,hematopoeitic disorders, pancreatic disorders, skeletal muscledisorders, skin disorders, hormonal disorders, immune e.g.,inflammatory, disorders, cardiovascular disorders, lipid homeostasisdisorders, endothelial cell disorders, liver disorders, disorders of thesmall intestine, pain disorders, viral diseases, metabolic disorders,bone metabolism disorders or platelet disorders. In preferredembodiments, the methods include detecting, in a sample from thesubject, the presence or absence of a genetic alteration characterizedby at least one of an alteration affecting the integrity of a geneencoding a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-protein, or the mis-expression of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 gene. For example, such genetic alterations can bedetected by ascertaining the existence of at least one of 1) a deletionof one or more nucleotides from a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; 2) an additionof one or more nucleotides to a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; 3) asubstitution of one or more nucleotides of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, 4) achromosomal rearrangement of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene; 5) an alteration in thelevel of a messenger RNA transcript of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, 6)aberrant modification of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, such as of themethylation pattern of the genomic DNA, 7) the presence of a non-wildtype splicing pattern of a messenger RNA transcript of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene, 8) a non-wild type level of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-protein, 9) allelicloss of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 gene, and 10) inappropriate post-translationalmodification of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-protein.

An alteration can be detected without a probe/primer in a polymerasechain reaction, such as anchor PCR or RACE PCR, or, alternatively, in aligation chain reaction (LCR), the latter of which can be particularlyuseful for detecting point mutations in the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-gene. Thismethod can include the steps of collecting a sample of cells from asubject, isolating nucleic acid (e.g., genomic, mRNA or both) from thesample, contacting the nucleic acid sample with one or more primerswhich specifically hybridize to a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene under conditionssuch that hybridization and amplification of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene (ifpresent) occurs, and detecting the presence or absence of anamplification product, or detecting the size of the amplificationproduct and comparing the length to a control sample. It is anticipatedthat PCR and/or LCR may be desirable to use as a preliminaryamplification step in conjunction with any of the techniques used fordetecting mutations described herein. Alternatively, other amplificationmethods described herein or known in the art can be used.

In another embodiment, mutations in a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene from a samplecell can be identified by detecting alterations in restriction enzymecleavage patterns. For example, sample and control DNA is isolated,amplified (optionally), digested with one or more restrictionendonucleases, and fragment length sizes are determined, e.g., by gelelectrophoresis and compared. Differences in fragment length sizesbetween sample and control DNA indicates mutations in the sample DNA.Moreover, the use of sequence specific ribozymes (see, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,498,531) can be used to score for the presence of specificmutations by development or loss of a ribozyme cleavage site.

In other embodiments, genetic mutations in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 can beidentified by hybridizing a sample and control nucleic acids, e.g., DNAor RNA, two dimensional arrays, e.g., chip based arrays. Such arraysinclude a plurality of addresses, each of which is positionallydistinguishable from the other. A different probe is located at eachaddress of the plurality. The arrays can have a high density ofaddresses, e.g., can contain hundreds or thousands of oligonucleotidesprobes (Cronin et al. (1996) Human Mutation 7: 244-255; Kozal et al.(1996) Nature Medicine 2: 753-759). For example, genetic mutations in25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 can be identified in two dimensional arrays containinglight-generated DNA probes as described in Cronin, M. T. et al. supra.Briefly, a first hybridization array of probes can be used to scanthrough long stretches of DNA in a sample and control to identify basechanges between the sequences by making linear arrays of sequentialoverlapping probes. This step allows the identification of pointmutations. This step is followed by a second hybridization array thatallows the characterization of specific mutations by using smaller,specialized probe arrays complementary to all variants or mutationsdetected. Each mutation array is composed of parallel probe sets, onecomplementary to the wild-type gene and the other complementary to themutant gene.

In yet another embodiment, any of a variety of sequencing reactionsknown in the art can be used to directly sequence the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene and detect mutations by comparing the sequence of the sample 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 with the corresponding wild-type (control) sequence. Automatedsequencing procedures can be utilized when performing the diagnosticassays (Naeve et al. (1995) Biotechniques 19:448-53), includingsequencing by mass spectrometry.

Other methods for detecting mutations in the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene includemethods in which protection from cleavage agents is used to detectmismatched bases in RNA/RNA or RNA/DNA heteroduplexes (Myers et al.(1985) Science 230:1242; Cotton et al. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad Sci USA85:4397; Saleeba et al. (1992) Methods Enzymol. 217:286-295).

In still another embodiment, the mismatch cleavage reaction employs oneor more proteins that recognize mismatched base pairs in double-strandedDNA (so called “DNA mismatch repair” enzymes) in defined systems fordetecting and mapping point mutations in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 cDNAs obtainedfrom samples of cells. For example, the mutY enzyme of E. coli cleaves Aat G/A mismatches and the thymidine DNA glycosylase from HeLa cellscleaves T at G/T mismatches (Hsu et al. (1994) Carcinogenesis15:1657-1662; U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,039).

In other embodiments, alterations in electrophoretic mobility will beused to identify mutations in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes. For example, singlestrand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) can be used to detectdifferences in electrophoretic mobility between mutant and wild typenucleic acids (Orita et al. (1989) Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA: 86:2766,see also Cotton (1993) Mutat. Res. 285:125-144; and Hayashi (1992)Genet. Anal. Tech. Appl. 9:73-79). Single-stranded DNA fragments ofsample and control 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acids will be denatured andallowed to renature. The secondary structure of single-stranded nucleicacids varies according to sequence, the resulting alteration inelectrophoretic mobility enables the detection of even a single basechange. The DNA fragments can be labeled or detected with labeledprobes. The sensitivity of the assay can be enhanced by using RNA(rather than DNA), in which the secondary structure is more sensitive toa change in sequence. In a preferred embodiment, the subject methodutilizes heteroduplex analysis to separate double stranded heteroduplexmolecules on the basis of changes in electrophoretic mobility (Keen etal. (1991) Trends Genet. 7:5).

In yet another embodiment, the movement of mutant or wild-type fragmentsin polyacrylamide gels containing a gradient of denaturant is assayedusing denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) (Myers et al.(1985) Nature 313:495). When DGGE is used as the method of analysis, DNAwill be modified to insure that it does not completely denature, forexample by adding a GC clamp of approximately 40 bp of high-meltingGC-rich DNA by PCR. In a further embodiment, a temperature gradient isused in place of a denaturing gradient to identify differences in themobility of control and sample DNA (Rosenbaum and Reissner (1987)Biophys Chem 265:12753).

Examples of other techniques for detecting point mutations include, butare not limited to, selective oligonucleotide hybridization, selectiveamplification, or selective primer extension (Saiki et al. (1986) Nature324:163); Saiki et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 86:6230).

Alternatively, allele specific amplification technology which depends onselective PCR amplification can be used in conjunction with the instantinvention. Oligonucleotides used as primers for specific amplificationcan carry the mutation of interest in the center of the molecule (sothat amplification depends on differential hybridization) (Gibbs et al.(1989) Nucleic Acids Res. 17:2437-2448) or at the extreme 3′ end of oneprimer where, under appropriate conditions, mismatch can prevent, orreduce polymerase extension (Prossner (1993) Tibtech 11:238). Inaddition it may be desirable to introduce a novel restriction site inthe region of the mutation to create cleavage-based detection (Gaspariniet al. (1992) Mol. Cell Probes 6:1). It is anticipated that in certainembodiments amplification can also be performed using Taq ligase foramplification (Barany (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad Sci USA 88:189-93). Insuch cases, ligation will occur only if there is a perfect match at the3′ end of the 5′ sequence making it possible to detect the presence of aknown mutation at a specific site by looking for the presence or absenceof amplification.

The methods described herein can be performed, for example, by utilizingpre-packaged diagnostic kits comprising at least one probe nucleic acidor antibody reagent described herein, which can be conveniently used,e.g., in clinical settings to diagnose patients exhibiting symptoms orfamily history of a disease or illness involving a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene.

Use of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 Molecules as Surrogate Markers

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the invention are also useful asmarkers of disorders or disease states, as markers for precursors ofdisease states, as markers for predisposition of disease states, asmarkers of drug activity, or as markers of the pharmacogenomic profileof a subject. Using the methods described herein, the presence, absenceand/or quantity of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the invention can bedetected, and can be correlated with one or more biological states invivo. For example, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the invention can serveas surrogate markers for one or more disorders or disease states or forconditions leading up to disease states. As used herein, a “surrogatemarker” is an objective biochemical marker which correlates with theabsence or presence of a disease or disorder, or with the progression ofa disease or disorder (e.g., with the presence or absence of a tumor).The presence or quantity of such markers is independent of the disease.Therefore, these markers can serve to indicate whether a particularcourse of treatment is effective in lessening a disease state ordisorder. Surrogate markers are of particular use when the presence orextent of a disease state or disorder is difficult to assess throughstandard methodologies (e.g., early stage tumors), or when an assessmentof disease progression is desired before a potentially dangerousclinical endpoint is reached (e.g., an assessment of cardiovasculardisease can be made using cholesterol levels as a surrogate marker, andan analysis of HIV infection can be made using HIV RNA levels as asurrogate marker, well in advance of the undesirable clinical outcomesof myocardial infarction or fully-developed AIDS). Examples of the useof surrogate markers in the art include: Koomen et al. (2000) J. Mass.Spectrom. 35: 258-264; and James (1994) AIDS Treatment News Archive 209.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the invention are also useful aspharmacodynamic markers. As used herein, a “pharmacodynamic marker” isan objective biochemical marker which correlates specifically with drugeffects. The presence or quantity of a pharmacodynamic marker is notrelated to the disease state or disorder for which the drug is beingadministered; therefore, the presence or quantity of the marker isindicative of the presence or activity of the drug in a subject. Forexample, a pharmacodynamic marker can be indicative of the concentrationof the drug in a biological tissue, in that the marker is eitherexpressed or transcribed or not expressed or transcribed in that tissuein relationship to the level of the drug. In this fashion, thedistribution or uptake of the drug can be monitored by thepharmacodynamic marker. Similarly, the presence or quantity of thepharmacodynamic marker can be related to the presence or quantity of themetabolic product of a drug, such that the presence or quantity of themarker is indicative of the relative breakdown rate of the drug in vivo.Pharmacodynamic markers are of particular use in increasing thesensitivity of detection of drug effects, particularly when the drug isadministered in low doses. Since even a small amount of a drug can besufficient to activate multiple rounds of marker (e.g., a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933marker) transcription or expression, the amplified marker can be in aquantity which is more readily detectable than the drug itself. Also,the marker can be more easily detected due to the nature of the markeritself, for example, using the methods described herein, anti-25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 antibodies can be employed in an immune-based detection system fora 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein marker, or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-specific radiolabeledprobes can be used to detect a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA marker. Furthermore, theuse of a pharmacodynamic marker can offer mechanism-based prediction ofrisk due to drug treatment beyond the range of possible directobservations. Examples of the use of pharmacodynamic markers in the artinclude: Matsuda et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,862; Hattis et al. (1991)Env. Health Perspect. 90: 229-238; Schentag (1999) Am. J. Health-Syst.Pharm. 56 Suppl. 3: S21-S24; and Nicolau (1999) Am. J. Health-Syst.Pharm. 56 Suppl. 3: S16-S20.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the invention are also useful aspharmacogenomic markers. As used herein, a “pharmacogenomic marker” isan objective biochemical marker which correlates with a specificclinical drug response or susceptibility in a subject (see, e.g., McLeodet al. (1999) Eur. J. Cancer 35:1650-1652). The presence or quantity ofthe pharmacogenomic marker is related to the predicted response of thesubject to a specific drug or class of drugs prior to administration ofthe drug. By assessing the presence or quantity of one or morepharmacogenomic markers in a subject, a drug therapy which is mostappropriate for the subject, or which is predicted to have a greaterdegree of success, can be selected. For example, based on the presenceor quantity of RNA, or protein (e.g., 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or RNA) forspecific tumor markers in a subject, a drug or course of treatment canbe selected that is optimized for the treatment of the specific tumorlikely to be present in the subject. Similarly, the presence or absenceof a specific sequence mutation in 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 DNA can correlate witha 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 drug response. The use of pharmacogenomic markerstherefore permits the application of the most appropriate treatment foreach subject without having to administer the therapy.

Pharmaceutical Compositions

The nucleic acid and polypeptides, fragments thereof, as well asanti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies (also referred to herein as “activecompounds”) of the invention can be incorporated into pharmaceuticalcompositions. Such compositions typically include the nucleic acidmolecule, protein, or antibody and a pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier. As used herein the language “pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier” includes solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antibacterialand antifungal agents, isotonic and absorption delaying agents, and thelike, compatible with pharmaceutical administration. Supplementaryactive compounds can also be incorporated into the compositions.

A pharmaceutical composition is formulated to be compatible with itsintended route of administration. Examples of routes of administrationinclude parenteral, e.g., intravenous, intradermal, subcutaneous, oral(e.g., inhalation), transdermal (topical), transmucosal, and rectaladministration. Solutions or suspensions used for parenteral,intradermal, or subcutaneous application can include the followingcomponents: a sterile diluent such as water for injection, salinesolution, fixed oils, polyethylene glycols, glycerine, propylene glycolor other synthetic solvents; antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcoholor methyl parabens; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodiumbisulfite; chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid;buffers such as acetates, citrates or phosphates and agents for theadjustment of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose. pH can beadjusted with acids or bases, such as hydrochloric acid or sodiumhydroxide. The parenteral preparation can be enclosed in ampoules,disposable syringes or multiple dose vials made of glass or plastic.

Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for injectable use include sterileaqueous solutions (where water soluble) or dispersions and sterilepowders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectablesolutions or dispersion. For intravenous administration, suitablecarriers include physiological saline, bacteriostatic water, CREMOPHOREL™ (BASF, Parsippany, N.J.) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). In allcases, the composition must be sterile and should be fluid to the extentthat easy syringability exists. It should be stable under the conditionsof manufacture and storage and must be preserved against thecontaminating action of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. Thecarrier can be a solvent or dispersion medium containing, for example,water, ethanol, polyol (for example, glycerol, propylene glycol, andliquid polyethylene glycol, and the like), and suitable mixturesthereof. The proper fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the useof a coating such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the requiredparticle size in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants.Prevention of the action of microorganisms can be achieved by variousantibacterial and antifungal agents, for example, parabens,chlorobutanol, phenol, ascorbic acid, thimerosal, and the like. In manycases, it will be preferable to include isotonic agents, for example,sugars, polyalcohols such as manitol, sorbitol, sodium chloride in thecomposition. Prolonged absorption of the injectable compositions can bebrought about by including in the composition an agent which delaysabsorption, for example, aluminum monostearate and gelatin.

Sterile injectable solutions can be prepared by incorporating the activecompound in the required amount in an appropriate solvent with one or acombination of ingredients enumerated above, as required, followed byfiltered sterilization. Generally, dispersions are prepared byincorporating the active compound into a sterile vehicle which containsa basic dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from thoseenumerated above. In the case of sterile powders for the preparation ofsterile injectable solutions, the preferred methods of preparation arevacuum drying and freeze-drying which yields a powder of the activeingredient plus any additional desired ingredient from a previouslysterile-filtered solution thereof.

Oral compositions generally include an inert diluent or an ediblecarrier. For the purpose of oral therapeutic administration, the activecompound can be incorporated with excipients and used in the form oftablets, troches, or capsules, e.g., gelatin capsules. Oral compositionscan also be prepared using a fluid carrier for use as a mouthwash.Pharmaceutically compatible binding agents, and/or adjuvant materialscan be included as part of the composition. The tablets, pills,capsules, troches and the like can contain any of the followingingredients, or compounds of a similar nature: a binder such asmicrocrystalline cellulose, gum tragacanth or gelatin; an excipient suchas starch or lactose, a disintegrating agent such as alginic acid,Primogel, or corn starch; a lubricant such as magnesium stearate orSterotes; a glidant such as colloidal silicon dioxide; a sweeteningagent such as sucrose or saccharin; or a flavoring agent such aspeppermint, methyl salicylate, or orange flavoring.

For administration by inhalation, the compounds are delivered in theform of an aerosol spray from pressured container or dispenser whichcontains a suitable propellant, e.g., a gas such as carbon dioxide, or anebulizer.

Systemic administration can also be by transmucosal or transdermalmeans. For transmucosal or transdermal administration, penetrantsappropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in the formulation.Such penetrants are generally known in the art, and include, forexample, for transmucosal administration, detergents, bile salts, andfusidic acid derivatives. Transmucosal administration can beaccomplished through the use of nasal sprays or suppositories. Fortransdermal administration, the active compounds are formulated intoointments, salves, gels, or creams as generally known in the art.

The compounds can also be prepared in the form of suppositories (e.g.,with conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter and otherglycerides) or retention enemas for rectal delivery.

In one embodiment, the active compounds are prepared with carriers thatwill protect the compound against rapid elimination from the body, suchas a controlled release formulation, including implants andmicroencapsulated delivery systems. Biodegradable, biocompatiblepolymers can be used, such as ethylene vinyl acetate, polyanhydrides,polyglycolic acid, collagen, polyorthoesters, and polylactic acid.Methods for preparation of such formulations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The materials can also be obtained commercially fromAlza Corporation and Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Liposomal suspensions(including liposomes targeted to infected cells with monoclonalantibodies to viral antigens) can also be used as pharmaceuticallyacceptable carriers. These can be prepared according to methods known tothose skilled in the art, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No.4,522,811.

It is advantageous to formulate oral or parenteral compositions indosage unit form for ease of administration and uniformity of dosage.Dosage unit form as used herein refers to physically discrete unitssuited as unitary dosages for the subject to be treated; each unitcontaining a predetermined quantity of active compound calculated toproduce the desired therapeutic effect in association with the requiredpharmaceutical carrier.

Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of such compounds can be determined bystandard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimentalanimals, e.g., for determining the LD₅₀ (the dose lethal to 50% of thepopulation) and the ED₅₀ (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% ofthe population). The dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects isthe therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio LD₅₀/ED₅₀.Compounds which exhibit high therapeutic indices are preferred. Whilecompounds that exhibit toxic side effects can be used, care should betaken to design a delivery system that targets such compounds to thesite of affected tissue in order to minimize potential damage touninfected cells and, thereby, reduce side effects.

The data obtained from the cell culture assays and animal studies can beused in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans. The dosage ofsuch compounds lies preferably within a range of circulatingconcentrations that include the ED₅₀ with little or no toxicity. Thedosage can vary within this range depending upon the dosage formemployed and the route of administration utilized. For any compound usedin the method of the invention, the therapeutically effective dose canbe estimated initially from cell culture assays. A dose can beformulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasmaconcentration range that includes the IC₅₀ (i.e., the concentration ofthe test compound which achieves a half-maximal inhibition of symptoms)as determined in cell culture. Such information can be used to moreaccurately determine useful doses in humans. Levels in plasma can bemeasured, for example, by high performance liquid chromatography.

As defined herein, a therapeutically effective amount of protein orpolypeptide (i.e., an effective dosage) ranges from about 0.001 to 30mg/kg body weight, preferably about 0.01 to 25 mg/kg body weight, morepreferably about 0.1 to 20 mg/kg body weight, and even more preferablyabout 1 to 10 mg/kg, 2 to 9 mg/kg, 3 to 8 mg/kg, 4 to 7 mg/kg, or 5 to 6mg/kg body weight. The protein or polypeptide can be administered onetime per week for between about 1 to 10 weeks, preferably between 2 to 8weeks, more preferably between about 3 to 7 weeks, and even morepreferably for about 4, 5, or 6 weeks. The skilled artisan willappreciate that certain factors can influence the dosage and timingrequired to effectively treat a subject, including but not limited tothe severity of the disease or disorder, previous treatments, thegeneral health and/or age of the subject, and other diseases present.Moreover, treatment of a subject with a therapeutically effective amountof a protein, polypeptide, or antibody, unconjugated or conjugated asdescribed herein, can include a single treatment or, preferably, caninclude a series of treatments.

For antibodies, the preferred dosage is 0.1 mg/kg of body weight(generally 10 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg). If the antibody is to act in thebrain, a dosage of 50 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg is usually appropriate.Generally, partially human antibodies and fully human antibodies have alonger half-life within the human body than other antibodies.Accordingly, lower dosages and less frequent administration is oftenpossible. Modifications such as lipidation can be used to stabilizeantibodies and to enhance uptake and tissue penetration (e.g., into thebrain). A method for lipidation of antibodies is described by Cruikshanket al. ((1997) J. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and HumanRetrovirology 14:193).

The present invention encompasses agents which modulate expression oractivity. An agent can, for example, be a small molecule. For example,such small molecules include, but are not limited to, peptides,peptidomimetics (e.g., peptoids), amino acids, amino acid analogs,polynucleotides, polynucleotide analogs, nucleotides, nucleotideanalogs, organic or inorganic compounds (i.e., including heteroorganicand organometallic compounds) having a molecular weight less than about10,000 grams per mole, organic or inorganic compounds having a molecularweight less than about 5,000 grams per mole, organic or inorganiccompounds having a molecular weight less than about 1,000 grams permole, organic or inorganic compounds having a molecular weight less thanabout 500 grams per mole, and salts, esters, and other pharmaceuticallyacceptable forms of such compounds.

Exemplary doses include milligram or microgram amounts of the smallmolecule per kilogram of subject or sample weight (e.g., about 1microgram per kilogram to about 500 milligrams per kilogram, about 100micrograms per kilogram to about 5 milligrams per kilogram, or about 1microgram per kilogram to about 50 micrograms per kilogram. It isfurthermore understood that appropriate doses of a small molecule dependupon the potency of the small molecule with respect to the expression oractivity to be modulated. When one or more of these small molecules isto be administered to an animal (e.g., a human) in order to modulateexpression or activity of a polypeptide or nucleic acid of theinvention, a physician, veterinarian, or researcher can, for example,prescribe a relatively low dose at first, subsequently increasing thedose until an appropriate response is obtained. In addition, it isunderstood that the specific dose level for any particular animalsubject will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity ofthe specific compound employed, the age, body weight, general health,gender, and diet of the subject, the time of administration, the routeof administration, the rate of excretion, any drug combination, and thedegree of expression or activity to be modulated.

The nucleic acid molecules of the invention can be inserted into vectorsand used as gene therapy vectors. Gene therapy vectors can be deliveredto a subject by, for example, intravenous injection, localadministration (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,470) or by stereotacticinjection (see e.g., Chen et al. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA91:3054-3057). The pharmaceutical preparation of the gene therapy vectorcan include the gene therapy vector in an acceptable diluent, or cancomprise a slow release matrix in which the gene delivery vehicle isimbedded. Alternatively, where the complete gene delivery vector can beproduced intact from recombinant cells, e.g., retroviral vectors, thepharmaceutical preparation can include one or more cells which producethe gene delivery system.

The pharmaceutical compositions can be included in a container, pack, ordispenser together with instructions for administration.

Methods of Treatment:

The present invention provides for both prophylactic and therapeuticmethods of treating a subject at risk of (or susceptible to) a disorderor having a disorder associated with aberrant or unwanted 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression or activity. As used herein, the term “treatment” is definedas the application or administration of a therapeutic agent to apatient, or application or administration of a therapeutic agent to anisolated tissue or cell line from a patient, who has a disease, asymptom of disease or a predisposition toward a disease, with thepurpose to cure, heal, alleviate, relieve, alter, remedy, ameliorate,improve or affect the disease, the symptoms of disease or thepredisposition toward disease. A therapeutic agent includes, but is notlimited to, small molecules, peptides, antibodies, ribozymes andantisense oligonucleotides.

With regards to both prophylactic and therapeutic methods of treatment,such treatments can be specifically tailored or modified, based onknowledge obtained from the field of pharmacogenomics.“Pharmacogenomics”, as used herein, refers to the application ofgenomics technologies such as gene sequencing, statistical genetics, andgene expression analysis to drugs in clinical development and on themarket. More specifically, the term refers the study of how a patient'sgenes determine his or her response to a drug (e.g., a patient's “drugresponse phenotype”, or “drug response genotype”.) Thus, another aspectof the invention provides methods for tailoring an individual'sprophylactic or therapeutic treatment with either the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933molecules of the present invention or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulators accordingto that individual's drug response genotype. Pharmacogenomics allows aclinician or physician to target prophylactic or therapeutic treatmentsto patients who will most benefit from the treatment and to avoidtreatment of patients who will experience toxic drug-related sideeffects.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for preventing in asubject, a disease or condition associated with an aberrant or unwanted25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 expression or activity, by administering to the subject a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 or an agent which modulates 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 expression orat least one 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity. Subjects at risk for a diseasewhich is caused or contributed to by aberrant or unwanted 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression or activity can be identified by, for example, any or acombination of diagnostic or prognostic assays as described herein.Administration of a prophylactic agent can occur prior to themanifestation of symptoms characteristic of the 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933aberrance, such that a disease or disorder is prevented or,alternatively, delayed in its progression. Depending on the type of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 aberrance, for example, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933, 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933agonist or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antagonist agent can be used for treatingthe subject. The appropriate agent can be determined based on screeningassays described herein.

It is possible that some 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 disorders can be caused, atleast in part, by an abnormal level of gene product, or by the presenceof a gene product exhibiting abnormal activity. As such, the reductionin the level and/or activity of such gene products would bring about theamelioration of disorder symptoms.

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules can act as novel diagnostic targets andtherapeutic agents for controlling one or more of a cellularproliferative and/or differentiative disorder, angiogenic disorder,brain disorder, neurological disorder, blood vessel disorder, breastdisorder, colon disorder, kidney disorder, lung disorder, ovariandisorder, prostate disorder, hematopoeitic disorder, pancreaticdisorder, skeletal muscle disorder, skin disorder, hormonal disorder,immune e.g., inflammatory, disorder, cardiovascular disorder, lipidhomeostasis disorder, endothelial cell disorder, liver disorder,disorder of the small intestine, pain disorder, viral disease, metabolicdisorder bone metabolism disorders or platelet disorders, all of whichare described above.

As discussed, successful treatment of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 disorders can bebrought about by techniques that serve to inhibit the expression oractivity of target gene products. For example, compounds, e.g., an agentidentified using an assays described above, that proves to exhibitnegative modulatory activity, can be used in accordance with theinvention to prevent and/or ameliorate symptoms of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933disorders. Such molecules can include, but are not limited to peptides,phosphopeptides, small organic or inorganic molecules, or antibodies(including, for example, polyclonal, monoclonal, humanized, human,anti-idiotypic, chimeric or single chain antibodies, and Fab, F(ab′)₂and Fab expression library fragments, scFV molecules, andepitope-binding fragments thereof).

Further, antisense and ribozyme molecules that inhibit expression of thetarget gene can also be used in accordance with the invention to reducethe level of target gene expression, thus effectively reducing the levelof target gene activity. Still further, triple helix molecules can beutilized in reducing the level of target gene activity. Antisense,ribozyme and triple helix molecules are discussed above.

It is possible that the use of antisense, ribozyme, and/or triple helixmolecules to reduce or inhibit mutant gene expression can also reduce orinhibit the transcription (triple helix) and/or translation (antisense,ribozyme) of mRNA produced by normal target gene alleles, such that theconcentration of normal target gene product present can be lower than isnecessary for a normal phenotype. In such cases, nucleic acid moleculesthat encode and express target gene polypeptides exhibiting normaltarget gene activity can be introduced into cells via gene therapymethod. Alternatively, in instances in that the target gene encodes anextracellular protein, it can be preferable to co-administer normaltarget gene protein into the cell or tissue in order to maintain therequisite level of cellular or tissue target gene activity.

Another method by which nucleic acid molecules can be utilized intreating or preventing a disease characterized by 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression is through the use of aptamer molecules specific for 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein. Aptamers are nucleic acid molecules having a tertiarystructure which permits them to specifically or selectively bind toprotein ligands (see, e.g., Osborne et al. (1997) Curr. Opin. Chem Biol.1: 5-9; and Patel (1997) Curr Opin Chem Biol 1:32-46). Since nucleicacid molecules can in many cases be more conveniently introduced intotarget cells than therapeutic protein molecules can be, aptamers offer amethod by which 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein activity can be specificallydecreased without the introduction of drugs or other molecules which canhave pluripotent effects.

Antibodies can be generated that are both specific for target geneproduct and that reduce target gene product activity. Such antibodiescan, therefore, by administered in instances whereby negative modulatorytechniques are appropriate for the treatment of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933disorders. For a description of antibodies, see the Antibody sectionabove.

In circumstances wherein injection of an animal or a human subject witha 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 protein or epitope for stimulating antibody production isharmful to the subject, it is possible to generate an immune responseagainst 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 through the use of anti-idiotypic antibodies (see,for example, Herlyn (1999) Ann Med 31:66-78; and Bhattacharya-Chatterjeeand Foon (1998) Cancer Treat Res. 94:51-68). If an anti-idiotypicantibody is introduced into a mammal or human subject, it shouldstimulate the production of anti-anti-idiotypic antibodies, which shouldbe specific to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein.

Vaccines directed to a disease characterized by 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression can also be generated in this fashion.

In instances where the target antigen is intracellular and wholeantibodies are used, internalizing antibodies can be preferred.Lipofectin or liposomes can be used to deliver the antibody or afragment of the Fab region that binds to the target antigen into cells.Where fragments of the antibody are used, the smallest inhibitoryfragment that binds to the target antigen is preferred. For example,peptides having an amino acid sequence corresponding to the Fv region ofthe antibody can be used. Alternatively, single chain neutralizingantibodies that bind to intracellular target antigens can also beadministered. Such single chain antibodies can be administered, forexample, by expressing nucleotide sequences encoding single-chainantibodies within the target cell population (see e.g., Marasco et al.(1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:7889-7893).

The identified compounds that inhibit target gene expression, synthesisand/or activity can be administered to a patient at therapeuticallyeffective doses to prevent, treat or ameliorate 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933disorders. A therapeutically effective dose refers to that amount of thecompound sufficient to result in amelioration of symptoms of thedisorders. Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of such compounds can bedetermined by standard pharmaceutical procedures as described above.

The data obtained from the cell culture assays and animal studies can beused in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans. The dosage ofsuch compounds lies preferably within a range of circulatingconcentrations that include the ED₅₀ with little or no toxicity. Thedosage can vary within this range depending upon the dosage formemployed and the route of administration utilized. For any compound usedin the method of the invention, the therapeutically effective dose canbe estimated initially from cell culture assays. A dose can beformulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasmaconcentration range that includes the IC₅₀ (i.e., the concentration ofthe test compound that achieves a half-maximal inhibition of symptoms)as determined in cell culture. Such information can be used to moreaccurately determine useful doses in humans. Levels in plasma can bemeasured, for example, by high performance liquid chromatography.

Another example of determination of effective dose for an individual isthe ability to directly assay levels of “free” and “bound” compound inthe serum of the test subject. Such assays can utilize antibody mimicsand/or “biosensors” that have been created through molecular imprintingtechniques. The compound which is able to modulate 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activityis used as a template, or “imprinting molecule”, to spatially organizepolymerizable monomers prior to their polymerization with catalyticreagents. The subsequent removal of the imprinted molecule leaves apolymer matrix which contains a repeated “negative image” of thecompound and is able to selectively rebind the molecule under biologicalassay conditions. A detailed review of this technique can be seen inAnsell et al (1996) Current Opinion in Biotechnology 7:89-94 and in Shea(1994) Trends in Polymer Science 2:166-173. Such “imprinted” affinitymatrixes are amenable to ligand-binding assays, whereby the immobilizedmonoclonal antibody component is replaced by an appropriately imprintedmatrix. An example of the use of such matrixes in this way can be seenin Vlatakis et al (1993) Nature 361:645-647. Through the use ofisotope-labeling, the “free” concentration of compound which modulatesthe expression or activity of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 can be readily monitored andused in calculations of IC₅₀.

Such “imprinted” affinity matrixes can also be designed to includefluorescent groups whose photon-emitting properties measurably changeupon local and selective binding of target compound. These changes canbe readily assayed in real time using appropriate fiberoptic devices, inturn allowing the dose in a test subject to be quickly optimized basedon its individual IC₅₀. An rudimentary example of such a “biosensor” isdiscussed in Kriz et al (1995) Analytical Chemistry 67:2142-2144.

Another aspect of the invention pertains to methods of modulating 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 expression or activity for therapeutic purposes. Accordingly, inan exemplary embodiment, the modulatory method of the invention involvescontacting a cell with a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or agent that modulates oneor more of the activities of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein activity associatedwith the cell. An agent that modulates 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 proteinactivity can be an agent as described herein, such as a nucleic acid ora protein, a naturally-occurring target molecule of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933protein (e.g., a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 substrate or receptor), a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933antibody, a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 agonist or antagonist, a peptidomimetic ofa 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 agonist or antagonist, or other small molecule.

In one embodiment, the agent stimulates one or 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933activities. Examples of such stimulatory agents include active 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein and a nucleic acid molecule encoding 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933. Inanother embodiment, the agent inhibits one or more 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933activities. Examples of such inhibitory agents include antisense 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 nucleic acid molecules, anti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 antibodies, and 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 inhibitors. These modulatory methods can be performed in vitro(e.g., by culturing the cell with the agent) or, alternatively, in vivo(e.g., by administering the agent to a subject). As such, the presentinvention provides methods of treating an individual afflicted with adisease or disorder characterized by aberrant or unwanted expression oractivity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleic acid molecule. In oneembodiment, the method involves administering an agent (e.g., an agentidentified by a screening assay described herein), or combination ofagents that modulates (e.g., up regulates or down regulates) 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 expression or activity. In another embodiment, the method involvesadministering a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein or nucleic acid molecule as therapyto compensate for reduced, aberrant, or unwanted 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression or activity.

Stimulation of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is desirable in situations inwhich 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 is abnormally downregulated and/or in whichincreased 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is likely to have a beneficial effect.For example, stimulation of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is desirable insituations in which a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 is downregulated and/or in whichincreased 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is likely to have a beneficial effect.Likewise, inhibition of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is desirable in situationsin which 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 is abnormally upregulated and/or in whichdecreased 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 activity is likely to have a beneficial effect.

Pharmacogenomics

The 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules of the present invention, as well asagents, or modulators which have a stimulatory or inhibitory effect on25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 activity (e.g., 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene expression) asidentified by a screening assay described herein can be administered toindividuals to treat (prophylactically or therapeutically) 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-associated disorders (e.g., aberrant or deficient carboxylaseactivity, fatty acid desaturase activity, serine/threonine dehydrataseactivity, hexokinase activity, peptidyl tRNA hydrolase activity, dualspecificity phosphatase activity, phospholipase activity, transporteractivity, or other activity disclosed herein) associated with aberrantor unwanted 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity.

In conjunction with such treatment, pharmacogenomics (i.e., the study ofthe relationship between an individual's genotype and that individual'sresponse to a foreign compound or drug) can be considered. Differencesin metabolism of therapeutics can lead to severe toxicity or therapeuticfailure by altering the relation between dose and blood concentration ofthe pharmacologically active drug. Thus, a physician or clinician canconsider applying knowledge obtained in relevant pharmacogenomicsstudies in determining whether to administer a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 moleculeor 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 modulator as well as tailoring the dosage and/ortherapeutic regimen of treatment with a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecule or25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 modulator.

Pharmacogenomics deals with clinically significant hereditary variationsin the response to drugs due to altered drug disposition and abnormalaction in affected persons. See, for example, Eichelbaum et al. (1996)Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. 23:983-985 and Linder et al. (1997) Clin.Chem. 43:254-266. In general, two types of pharmacogenetic conditionscan be differentiated. Genetic conditions transmitted as a single factoraltering the way drugs act on the body (altered drug action) or geneticconditions transmitted as single factors altering the way the body actson drugs (altered drug metabolism). These pharmacogenetic conditions canoccur either as rare genetic defects or as naturally-occurringpolymorphisms. For example, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency(G6PD) is a common inherited enzymopathy in which the main clinicalcomplication is haemolysis after ingestion of oxidant drugs(anti-malarials, sulfonamides, analgesics, nitrofurans) and consumptionof fava beans.

One pharmacogenomics approach to identifying genes that predict drugresponse, known as “a genome-wide association”, relies primarily on ahigh-resolution map of the human genome consisting of already knowngene-related markers (e.g., a “bi-allelic” gene marker map whichconsists of 60,000-100,000 polymorphic or variable sites on the humangenome, each of which has two variants.) Such a high-resolution geneticmap can be compared to a map of the genome of each of a statisticallysignificant number of patients taking part in a Phase II/III drug trialto identify markers associated with a particular observed drug responseor side effect. Alternatively, such a high resolution map can begenerated from a combination of some ten-million known single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome. As used herein, a “SNP” is acommon alteration that occurs in a single nucleotide base in a stretchof DNA. For example, a SNP can occur once per every 1000 bases of DNA. ASNP can be involved in a disease process, however, the vast majority cannot be disease-associated. Given a genetic map based on the occurrenceof such SNPs, individuals can be grouped into genetic categoriesdepending on a particular pattern of SNPs in their individual genome. Insuch a manner, treatment regimens can be tailored to groups ofgenetically similar individuals, taking into account traits that can becommon among such genetically similar individuals.

Alternatively, a method termed the “candidate gene approach”, can beutilized to identify genes that predict drug response. According to thismethod, if a gene that encodes a drug's target is known (e.g., a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 protein of the present invention), all common variants of thatgene can be fairly easily identified in the population and it can bedetermined if having one version of the gene versus another isassociated with a particular drug response.

Alternatively, a method termed the “gene expression profiling”, can beutilized to identify genes that predict drug response. For example, thegene expression of an animal dosed with a drug (e.g., a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933molecule or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulator of the present invention) cangive an indication whether gene pathways related to toxicity have beenturned on.

Information generated from more than one of the above pharmacogenomicsapproaches can be used to determine appropriate dosage and treatmentregimens for prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of an individual.This knowledge, when applied to dosing or drug selection, can avoidadverse reactions or therapeutic failure and thus enhance therapeutic orprophylactic efficiency when treating a subject with a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933molecule or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulator, such as a modulator identifiedby one of the exemplary screening assays described herein.

The present invention further provides methods for identifying newagents, or combinations, that are based on identifying agents thatmodulate the activity of one or more of the gene products encoded by oneor more of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 genes of the present invention, whereinthese products can be associated with resistance of the cells to atherapeutic agent. Specifically, the activity of the proteins encoded bythe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 genes of the present invention can be used as abasis for identifying agents for overcoming agent resistance. Byblocking the activity of one or more of the resistance proteins, targetcells, e.g., human cells, will become sensitive to treatment with anagent to which the unmodified target cells were resistant.

Monitoring the influence of agents (e.g., drugs) on the expression oractivity of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 protein can be applied in clinical trials.For example, the effectiveness of an agent determined by a screeningassay as described herein to increase 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene expression,protein levels, or upregulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, can be monitored inclinical trials of subjects exhibiting decreased 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 geneexpression, protein levels, or downregulated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity.Alternatively, the effectiveness of an agent determined by a screeningassay to decrease 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene expression, protein levels, ordownregulate 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, can be monitored in clinicaltrials of subjects exhibiting increased 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 geneexpression, protein levels, or upregulated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity. Insuch clinical trials, the expression or activity of a 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene, and preferably, other genes that have been implicated in, forexample, a [FAMILYNAME]-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-associated disorder can be used as a “read out” or markers of thephenotype of a particular cell.

Other Embodiments

In another aspect, the invention features a method of analyzing aplurality of capture probes. The method is useful, e.g., to analyze geneexpression. The method includes: providing a two dimensional arrayhaving a plurality of addresses, each address of the plurality beingpositionally distinguishable from each other address of the plurality,and each address of the plurality having a unique capture probe, e.g., anucleic acid or peptide sequence, wherein the capture probes are from acell or subject which expresses 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or from a cell orsubject in which a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mediated response has been elicited;contacting the array with a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid (preferablypurified), a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide (preferably purified), or ananti-25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 antibody, and thereby evaluating the plurality ofcapture probes. Binding, e.g., in the case of a nucleic acid,hybridization with a capture probe at an address of the plurality, isdetected, e.g., by a signal generated from a label attached to the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleic acid, polypeptide, or antibody.

The capture probes can be a set of nucleic acids from a selected sample,e.g., a sample of nucleic acids derived from a control or non-stimulatedtissue or cell.

The method can include contacting the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid,polypeptide, or antibody with a first array having a plurality ofcapture probes and a second array having a different plurality ofcapture probes. The results of each hybridization can be compared, e.g.,to analyze differences in expression between a first and second sample.The first plurality of capture probes can be from a control sample,e.g., a wild type, normal, or non-diseased, non-stimulated, sample,e.g., a biological fluid, tissue, or cell sample. The second pluralityof capture probes can be from an experimental sample, e.g., a mutanttype, at risk, disease-state or disorder-state, or stimulated, sample,e.g., a biological fluid, tissue, or cell sample.

The plurality of capture probes can be a plurality of nucleic acidprobes each of which specifically hybridizes, with an allele of 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933. Such methods can be used to diagnose a subject, e.g., to evaluaterisk for a disease or disorder, to evaluate suitability of a selectedtreatment for a subject, to evaluate whether a subject has a disease ordisorder.

The method can be used to detect SNPs, as described above.

In another aspect, the invention features, a method of analyzing 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933, e.g., analyzing structure, function, or relatedness to othernucleic acid or amino acid sequences. The method includes: providing a25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleic acid or amino acid sequence; comparing the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 sequence with one or more preferably a plurality of sequences froma collection of sequences, e.g., a nucleic acid or protein sequencedatabase; to thereby analyze 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933.

The method can include evaluating the sequence identity between a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 sequence and a database sequence. The method can be performed byaccessing the database at a second site, e.g., over the internet.Preferred databases include GenBank™ and SwissProt.

In another aspect, the invention features, a set of oligonucleotides,useful, e.g., for identifying SNP's, or identifying specific alleles of25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933. The set includes a plurality of oligonucleotides, eachof which has a different nucleotide at an interrogation position, e.g.,an SNP or the site of a mutation. In a preferred embodiment, theoligonucleotides of the plurality identical in sequence with one another(except for differences in length). The oligonucleotides can be providedwith differential labels, such that an oligonucleotide which hybridizesto one allele provides a signal that is distinguishable from anoligonucleotides which hybridizes to a second allele.

The sequences of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecules are provided in a variety ofmediums to facilitate use thereof. A sequence can be provided as amanufacture, other than an isolated nucleic acid or amino acid molecule,which contains a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 molecule. Such a manufacture can provide anucleotide or amino acid sequence, e.g., an open reading frame, in aform which allows examination of the manufacture using means notdirectly applicable to examining the nucleotide or amino acid sequences,or a subset thereof, as they exist in nature or in purified form.

A 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleotide or amino acid sequence can be recorded oncomputer readable media. As used herein, “computer readable media”refers to any medium that can be read and accessed directly by acomputer. Such media include, but are not limited to: magnetic storagemedia, such as floppy discs, hard disc storage medium, and magnetictape; optical storage media such as compact disc and CD-ROM; electricalstorage media such as RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and the like; and generalhard disks and hybrids of these categories such as magnetic/opticalstorage media. The medium is adapted or configured for having thereon25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 sequence information of the present invention.

As used herein, the term “electronic apparatus” is intended to includeany suitable computing or processing apparatus of other deviceconfigured or adapted for storing data or information. Examples ofelectronic apparatus suitable for use with the present invention includestand-alone computing apparatus; networks, including a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) Internet, Intranet, andExtranet; electronic appliances such as personal digital assistants(PDAs), cellular phones, pagers, and the like; and local and distributedprocessing systems.

As used herein, “recorded” refers to a process for storing or encodinginformation on the electronic apparatus readable medium. Those skilledin the art can readily adopt any of the presently known methods forrecording information on known media to generate manufactures comprisingthe 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence information.

A variety of data storage structures are available to a skilled artisanfor creating a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 nucleotide or amino acid sequence of the present invention. Thechoice of the data storage structure will generally be based on themeans chosen to access the stored information. In addition, a variety ofdata processor programs and formats can be used to store the nucleotidesequence information of the present invention on computer readablemedium. The sequence information can be represented in a word processingtext file, formatted in commercially-available software such asWordPerfect and Microsoft Word, or represented in the form of an ASCIIfile, stored in a database application, such as DB2, Sybase, Oracle, orthe like. The skilled artisan can readily adapt any number of dataprocessor structuring formats (e.g., text file or database) in order toobtain computer readable medium having recorded thereon the nucleotidesequence information of the present invention.

By providing the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleotide or amino acid sequences of theinvention in computer readable form, the skilled artisan can routinelyaccess the sequence information for a variety of purposes. For example,one skilled in the art can use the nucleotide or amino acid sequences ofthe invention in computer readable form to compare a target sequence ortarget structural motif with the sequence information stored within thedata storage means. A search is used to identify fragments or regions ofthe sequences of the invention which match a particular target sequenceor target motif.

The present invention therefore provides a medium for holdinginstructions for performing a method for determining whether a subjecthas a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, shortchain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase,transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933-associated disease or disorder or a pre-disposition to a proteinkinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder, wherein the method comprises the steps ofdetermining 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence information associated with thesubject and based on the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence information,determining whether the subject has a protein kinase, methyltransferase,acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase,acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase orsynthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disease ordisorder and/or recommending a particular treatment for the disease,disorder, or pre-disease condition.

The present invention further provides in an electronic system and/or ina network, a method for determining whether a subject has a proteinkinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder or a pre-disposition to a disease associated with25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933, wherein the method comprises the steps of determining25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 sequence information associated with the subject, andbased on the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence information, determining whetherthe subject has a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder or a pre-disposition to aprotein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder, and/or recommending a particular treatment for thedisease, disorder, or pre-disease condition. The method may furthercomprise the step of receiving phenotypic information associated withthe subject and/or acquiring from a network phenotypic informationassociated with the subject.

The present invention also provides in a network, a method fordetermining whether a subject has a protein kinase, methyltransferase,acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase,acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase orsynthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disease ordisorder or a pre-disposition to a protein kinase, methyltransferase,acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase,acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase orsynthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disease ordisorder, said method comprising the steps of receiving 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933sequence information from the subject and/or information relatedthereto, receiving phenotypic information associated with the subject,acquiring information from the network corresponding to 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933and/or corresponding to a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder, and based on one or moreof the phenotypic information, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 information (e.g.,sequence information and/or information related thereto), and theacquired information, determining whether the subject has a proteinkinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder or a pre-disposition to a protein kinase,methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase,reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase orsynthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disease ordisorder. The method may further comprise the step of recommending aparticular treatment for the disease, disorder, or pre-diseasecondition.

The present invention also provides a business method for determiningwhether a subject has a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder or a pre-disposition to aprotein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder, said method comprising the steps of receivinginformation related to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508,16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 (e.g., sequence information and/orinformation related thereto), receiving phenotypic informationassociated with the subject, acquiring information from the networkrelated to 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 and/or related to a protein kinase,methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase,reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase orsynthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associated disease ordisorder, and based on one or more of the phenotypic information, the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 information, and the acquired information, determiningwhether the subject has a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder or a pre-disposition to aprotein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder. The method may further comprise the step ofrecommending a particular treatment for the disease, disorder, orpre-disease condition.

The invention also includes an array comprising a 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequenceof the present invention. The array can be used to assay expression ofone or more genes in the array. In one embodiment, the array can be usedto assay gene expression in a tissue to ascertain tissue specificity ofgenes in the array. In this manner, up to about 7600 genes can besimultaneously assayed for expression, one of which can be 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933.This allows a profile to be developed showing a battery of genesspecifically expressed in one or more tissues.

In addition to such qualitative information, the invention allows thequantitation of gene expression. Thus, not only tissue specificity, butalso the level of expression of a battery of genes in the tissue ifascertainable. Thus, genes can be grouped on the basis of their tissueexpression per se and level of expression in that tissue. This isuseful, for example, in ascertaining the relationship of gene expressionin that tissue. Thus, one tissue can be perturbed and the effect on geneexpression in a second tissue can be determined. In this context, theeffect of one cell type on another cell type in response to a biologicalstimulus can be determined. In this context, the effect of one cell typeon another cell type in response to a biological stimulus can bedetermined. Such a determination is useful, for example, to know theeffect of cell-cell interaction at the level of gene expression. If anagent is administered therapeutically to treat one cell type but has anundesirable effect on another cell type, the invention provides an assayto determine the molecular basis of the undesirable effect and thusprovides the opportunity to co-administer a counteracting agent orotherwise treat the undesired effect. Similarly, even within a singlecell type, undesirable biological effects can be determined at themolecular level. Thus, the effects of an agent on expression of otherthan the target gene can be ascertained and counteracted.

In another embodiment, the array can be used to monitor the time courseof expression of one or more genes in the array. This can occur invarious biological contexts, as disclosed herein, for exampledevelopment of a protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder, progression of proteinkinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, short chaindehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase, phosphatase, transferase,ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933-associateddisease or disorder, and processes, such a cellular transformationassociated with the protein kinase, methyltransferase, acyl-CoAdehydrogenase, short chain dehyrdogenase, reductase, acyltransferase,phosphatase, transferase, ATP-ase or synthase-associated or another25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933-associated disease or disorder.

The array is also useful for ascertaining the effect of the expressionof a gene on the expression of other genes in the same cell or indifferent cells (e.g., acertaining the effect of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933expression on the expression of other genes). This provides, forexample, for a selection of alternate molecular targets for therapeuticintervention if the ultimate or downstream target cannot be regulated.

The array is also useful for ascertaining differential expressionpatterns of one or more genes in normal and abnormal cells. Thisprovides a battery of genes (e.g., including 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933) that couldserve as a molecular target for diagnosis or therapeutic intervention.

As used herein, a “target sequence” can be any DNA or amino acidsequence of six or more nucleotides or two or more amino acids. Askilled artisan can readily recognize that the longer a target sequenceis, the less likely a target sequence will be present as a randomoccurrence in the database. Typical sequence lengths of a targetsequence are from about 10 to 100 amino acids or from about 30 to 300nucleotide residues. However, it is well recognized that commerciallyimportant fragments, such as sequence fragments involved in geneexpression and protein processing, may be of shorter length.

Computer software is publicly available which allows a skilled artisanto access sequence information provided in a computer readable mediumfor analysis and comparison to other sequences. A variety of knownalgorithms are disclosed publicly and a variety of commerciallyavailable software for conducting search means are and can be used inthe computer-based systems of the present invention. Examples of suchsoftware include, but are not limited to, MacPattern (EMBL), BLASTN andBLASTX (NCBI).

Thus, the invention features a method of making a computer readablerecord of a sequence of a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence which includesrecording the sequence on a computer readable matrix. In a preferredembodiment the record includes one or more of the following:identification of an ORF; identification of a domain, region, or site;identification of the start of transcription; identification of thetranscription terminator; the full length amino acid sequence of theprotein, or a mature form thereof; the 5′ end of the translated region.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of analyzing asequence. The method includes: providing a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 sequence, orrecord, in computer readable form; comparing a second sequence to the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 sequence; thereby analyzing a sequence. Comparison caninclude comparing to sequences for sequence identity or determining ifone sequence is included within the other, e.g., determining if the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 sequence includes a sequence being compared. In apreferred embodiment the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or second sequence is storedon a first computer, e.g., at a first site and the comparison isperformed, read, or recorded on a second computer, e.g., at a secondsite. E.g., the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 or second sequence can be stored in apublic or proprietary database in one computer, and the results of thecomparison performed, read, or recorded on a second computer. In apreferred embodiment the record includes one or more of the following:identification of an ORF; identification of a domain, region, or site;identification of the start of transcription; identification of thetranscription terminator; the full length amino acid sequence of theprotein, or a mature form thereof; the 5′ end of the translated region.

EXEMPLIFICATION Example 1 Tissue Distribution of 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 mRNA

Northern blot hybridizations with various RNA samples can be performedunder standard conditions and washed under stringent conditions, i.e.,0.2×SSC at 65° C. A DNA probe corresponding to all or a portion of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 cDNA (SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28,30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72) or 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933cDNA can be used. The DNA was radioactively labeled with ³²P-dCTP usingthe Prime-It Kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) according to theinstructions of the supplier. Filters containing mRNA from mousehematopoietic and endocrine tissues, and cancer cell lines (Clontech,Palo Alto, Calif.) can be probed in ExpressHyb hybridization solution(Clontech) and washed at high stringency according to manufacturer'srecommendations.

Example 2 TaqMan™ Procedure

The Taqman™ procedure is a quantitative, real-time PCR-based approach todetecting mRNA. The RT-PCR reaction exploits the 5′ nuclease activity ofAmpliTaq Gold™ DNA Polymerase to cleave a TaqMan™ probe during PCR.Briefly, cDNA was generated from the samples of interest and served asthe starting material for PCR amplification. In addition to the 5′ and3′ gene-specific primers, a gene-specific oligonucleotide probe(complementary to the region being amplified) was included in thereaction (i.e., the Taqman™ probe). The TaqMan™ probe included anoligonucleotide with a fluorescent reporter dye covalently linked to the5′ end of the probe (such as FAM (6-carboxyfluorescein), TET(6-carboxy-4,7,2′,7′-tetrachlorofluorescein), JOE(6-carboxy-4,5-dichloro-2,7-dimethoxyfluorescein), or VIC) and aquencher dye (TAMRA (6-carboxy-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylrhodamine) at the 3′end of the probe.

During the PCR reaction, cleavage of the probe separated the reporterdye and the quencher dye, resulting in increased fluorescence of thereporter. Accumulation of PCR products was detected directly bymonitoring the increase in fluorescence of the reporter dye. When theprobe was intact, the proximity of the reporter dye to the quencher dyeresulted in suppression of the reporter fluorescence. During PCR, if thetarget of interest was present, the probe specifically annealed betweenthe forward and reverse primer sites. The 5′-3′ nucleolytic activity ofthe AmpliTaq™ Gold DNA Polymerase cleaved the probe between the reporterand the quencher only if the probe hybridized to the target. The probefragments were then displaced from the target, and polymerization of thestrand continued. The 3′ end of the probe was blocked to preventextension of the probe during PCR. This process occurred in every cycleand did not interfere with the exponential accumulation of product. RNAwas prepared using the trizol method and treated with DNase to removecontaminating genomic DNA. cDNA was synthesized using standardtechniques. Mock cDNA synthesis in the absence of reverse transcriptaseresulted in samples with no detectable PCR amplification of the controlGAPDH or β-actin gene confirming efficient removal of genomic DNAcontamination.

Example 3 In Situ Hybridization Procedure

For in situ analysis, various tissues, e.g. tissues obtained from brain,are first frozen on dry ice. Ten-micrometer-thick sections of thetissues are postfixed with 4% formaldehyde in DEPC treated 1×phosphate-buffered saline at room temperature for 10 minutes beforebeing rinsed twice in DEPC 1× phosphate-buffered saline and once in 0.1M triethanolamine-HCl (pH 8.0). Following incubation in 0.25% aceticanhydride-0.1 M triethanolamine-HCl for 10 minutes, sections are rinsedin DEPC 2×SSC (1×SSC is 0.15M NaCl plus 0.015M sodium citrate). Tissueis then dehydrated through a series of ethanol washes, incubated in 100%chloroform for 5 minutes, and then rinsed in 100% ethanol for 1 minuteand 95% ethanol for 1 minute and allowed to air dry.

Hybridizations are performed with ³⁵S-radiolabeled (5×10⁷ cpm/ml) cRNAprobes. Probes are incubated in the presence of a solution containing600 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris (pH 7.5), 1 mM EDTA, 0.01% sheared salmon spermDNA, 0.01% yeast tRNA, 0.05% yeast total RNA type X1, 1×Denhardt'ssolution, 50% formamide, 10% dextran sulfate, 100 mM dithiothreitol,0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 0.1% sodium thiosulfate for 18hours at 55° C.

After hybridization, slides are washed with 2×SSC. Sections are thensequentially incubated at 37° C. in TNE (a solution containing 10 mMTris-HCl (pH 7.6), 500 mM NaCl, and 1 mM EDTA), for 10 minutes, in TNEwith 10 ug of RNase A per ml for 30 minutes, and finally in TNE for 10minutes. Slides are then rinsed with 2×SSC at room temperature, washedwith 2×SSC at 50° C. for 1 hour, washed with 0.2×SSC at 55° C. for 1hour, and 0.2×SSC at 60° C. for 1 hour. Sections are then dehydratedrapidly through serial ethanol-0.3 M sodium acetate concentrationsbefore being air dried and exposed to Kodak Biomax MR scientific imagingfilm for 24 hours and subsequently dipped in NB-2 photoemulsion andexposed at 4° C. for 7 days before being developed and counter stained.

Example 4 Recombinant Expression of 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 in Bacterial Cells

In this example, 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 is expressed as a recombinantglutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion polypeptide in E. coli and thefusion polypeptide is isolated and characterized. Specifically, 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 is fused to GST and this fusion polypeptide is expressed in E.coli, e.g., strain PEB199. Expression of the GST-25869, -25934, -26335,-50365, -21117, -38692, -46508, -16816, -16839, -49937, -49931 or -49933fusion protein in PEB199 is induced with IPTG. The recombinant fusionpolypeptide is purified from crude bacterial lysates of the inducedPEB199 strain by affinity chromatography on glutathione beads. Usingpolyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of the polypeptide purifiedfrom the bacterial lysates, the molecular weight of the resultant fusionpolypeptide is determined.

Example 5 Expression of Recombinant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 Protein in COS Cells

To express the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 gene in COS cells, the pcDNA/Amp vector byInvitrogen Corporation (San Diego, Calif.) is used. This vector containsan SV40 origin of replication, an ampicillin resistance gene, an E. colireplication origin, a CMV promoter followed by a polylinker region, andan SV40 intron and polyadenylation site. A DNA fragment encoding theentire 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 protein and an HA tag (Wilson et al. (1984) Cell37:767) or a FLAG tag fused in-frame to its 3′ end of the fragment iscloned into the polylinker region of the vector, thereby placing theexpression of the recombinant protein under the control of the CMVpromoter.

To construct the plasmid, the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 DNA sequence is amplified byPCR using two primers. The 5′ primer contains the restriction site ofinterest followed by approximately twenty nucleotides of the 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 coding sequence starting from the initiation codon; the 3′ endsequence contains complementary sequences to the other restriction siteof interest, a translation stop codon, the HA tag or FLAG tag and thelast 20 nucleotides of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 coding sequence. The PCRamplified fragment and the pCDNA/Amp vector are digested with theappropriate restriction enzymes and the vector is dephosphorylated usingthe CIAP enzyme (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.). Preferably thetwo restriction sites chosen are different so that the 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933gene is inserted in the correct orientation. The ligation mixture istransformed into E. coli cells (strains HB101, DH5α, SURE, availablefrom Stratagene Cloning Systems, La Jolla, Calif., can be used), thetransformed culture is plated on ampicillin media plates, and resistantcolonies are selected. Plasmid DNA is isolated from transformants andexamined by restriction analysis for the presence of the correctfragment.

COS cells are subsequently transfected with the 25869-, 25934-, 26335-,50365-, 21117-, 38692-, 46508-, 16816-, 16839-, 49937-, 49931- or49933-pcDNA/Amp plasmid DNA using the calcium phosphate or calciumchloride co-precipitation methods, DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection,lipofection, or electroporation. Other suitable methods for transfectinghost cells can be found in Sambrook, J., Fritsh, E. F., and Maniatis, T.Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 2nd, ed., Cold Spring HarborLaboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor,N.Y., 1989. The expression of the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide isdetected by radiolabelling (³⁵S-methionine or ³⁵S-cysteine availablefrom NEN, Boston, Mass., can be used) and immunoprecipitation (Harlow,E. and Lane, D. Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring HarborLaboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1988) using an HA specificmonoclonal antibody. Briefly, the cells are labeled for 8 hours with³⁵S-methionine (or ³⁵S-cysteine). The culture media are then collectedand the cells are lysed using detergents (RIPA buffer, 150 mM NaCl, 1%NP-40, 0.1% SDS, 0.5% DOC, 50 mM Tris, pH 7.5). Both the cell lysate andthe culture media are precipitated with an HA specific monoclonalantibody. Precipitated polypeptides are then analyzed by SDS-PAGE.

Alternatively, DNA containing the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 coding sequence iscloned directly into the polylinker of the pCDNA/Amp vector using theappropriate restriction sites. The resulting plasmid is transfected intoCOS cells in the manner described above, and the expression of the25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 polypeptide is detected by radiolabelling andimmunoprecipitation using a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 specific monoclonal antibody.

The contents of all references, patents and published patentapplications cited throughout this application are incorporated hereinby reference.

EQUIVALENTS

Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain usingno more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specificembodiments of the invention described herein.

1. An isolated 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecule selected from thegroup consisting of: a) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotidesequence which is at least 60% identical to the nucleotide sequence ofSEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41,42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or the nucleotide sequence of the DNAinsert of the plasmid deposited with ATCC Accession Number ______; b) anucleic acid molecule comprising a fragment of at least 15 nucleotidesof the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25,27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or thenucleotide sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCCAccession Number ______; c) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes apolypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17,21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or the amino acid sequence encodedby the cDNA insert of the plasmid deposited with the ATCC AccessionNumber ______; d) a nucleic acid molecule which encodes a fragment of apolypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17,21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or the amino acid sequence encodedby the cDNA insert of the plasmid deposited with the ATCC AccessionNumber ______, wherein the fragment comprises at least 15 contiguousamino acids of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71,or the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______; e) a nucleic acidmolecule which encodes a naturally occurring allelic variant of apolypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17,21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or the amino acid sequence encodedby the cDNA insert of the plasmid deposited with the ATCC AccessionNumber ______, wherein the nucleic acid molecule hybridizes to a nucleicacid molecule comprising SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27,28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or acomplement thereof, under stringent conditions; f) a nucleic acidmolecule comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16,18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70or 72, or the nucleotide sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with ATCC Accession Number ______; and g) a nucleic acidmolecule which encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequenceof SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or theamino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmid depositedwith the ATCC Accession Number ______.
 2. The isolated nucleic acidmolecule of claim 1, which is the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:1, 7,16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or
 70. 3. A host cell which containsthe nucleic acid molecule of claim
 1. 4. An isolated 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: a) a polypeptidewhich is encoded by a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotidesequence which is at least 60% identical to a nucleic acid comprisingthe nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27,28, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or thenucleotide sequence of the DNA insert of the plasmid deposited with ATCCAccession Number ______, or a complement thereof; b) a naturallyoccurring allelic variant of a polypeptide comprising the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, orthe amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______, wherein the polypeptideis encoded by a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a nucleic acidmolecule comprising SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28,30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72, or a complementthereof under stringent conditions; c) a fragment of a polypeptidecomprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29,36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNAinsert of the plasmid deposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______,wherein the fragment comprises at least 15 contiguous amino acids of SEQID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71; and d) the aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or71.
 5. An antibody which selectively binds to a polypeptide of claim 4.6. The polypeptide of claim 4, further comprising heterologous aminoacid sequences.
 7. A method for producing a polypeptide selected fromthe group consisting of: a) a polypeptide comprising the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, orthe amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______; b) a polypeptidecomprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17,21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, or the amino acid sequence encodedby the cDNA insert of the plasmid deposited with the ATCC AccessionNumber ______, wherein the fragment comprises at least 15 contiguousamino acids of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71,or the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______; c) a naturallyoccurring allelic variant of a polypeptide comprising the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, orthe amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of the plasmiddeposited with the ATCC Accession Number ______, wherein the polypeptideis encoded by a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a nucleic acidmolecule comprising SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 7, 9, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28,30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44, 63, 65, 67, 69, 70 or 72; and d) the aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or71; comprising culturing the host cell of claim 3 under conditions inwhich the nucleic acid molecule is expressed.
 8. A method for detectingthe presence of a nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or a polypeptideencoded by the nucleic acid molecule in a sample, comprising: a)contacting the sample with a compound which selectively hybridizes tothe nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or binds to the polypeptide encodedby the nucleic acid molecule; and b) determining whether the compoundhybridizes to the nucleic acid or binds to the polypeptide in thesample.
 9. A kit comprising a compound which selectively hybridizes to anucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or binds to a polypeptide encoded bythe nucleic acid molecule and instructions for use.
 10. A method foridentifying a compound which binds to a polypeptide or modulates theactivity of the polypeptide of claim 4 comprising the steps of: a)contacting a polypeptide, or a cell expressing a polypeptide of claim 4with a test compound; and b) determining whether the polypeptide bindsto the test compound or determining the effect of the test compound onthe activity of the polypeptide.
 11. A method for modulating theactivity of a polypeptide of claim 4 comprising contacting thepolypeptide or a cell expressing the polypeptide with a compound whichbinds to the polypeptide in a sufficient concentration to modulate theactivity of the polypeptide.
 12. A method for identifying a compoundcapable of treating a disorder characterized by aberrant 25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933activity, comprising assaying the ability of the compound to modulate25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 nucleic acid expression or 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptideactivity, thereby identifying a compound capable of treating a disordercharacterized by aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity.
 13. A method ofidentifying a nucleic acid molecule associated with a disordercharacterized by aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, comprising: a)contacting a sample from a subject with a disorder characterized byaberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, comprising nucleic acid molecules with ahybridization probe comprising at least 25 contiguous nucleotides of SEQID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 defined in claim 2;and b) detecting the presence of a nucleic acid molecule in the samplethat hybridizes to the probe, thereby identifying a nucleic acidmolecule associated with a disorder characterized by aberrant 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 activity.
 14. A method of identifying a polypeptide associatedwith a disorder characterized by aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity,comprising: a) contacting a sample comprising polypeptides with a 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 polypeptide defined in claim 4; and b) detecting the presence of apolypeptide in the sample that binds to the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 bindingpartner, thereby identifying the polypeptide associated with a disordercharacterized by aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity.
 15. A method ofidentifying a subject having a disorder characterized by aberrant 25869,25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or49933 activity, comprising: a) contacting a sample obtained from thesubject comprising nucleic acid molecules with a hybridization probecomprising at least 25 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20,25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 defined in claim 2; and b) detectingthe presence of a nucleic acid molecule in the sample that hybridizes tothe probe, thereby identifying a subject having a disorder characterizedby aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 activity.
 16. A method for treating asubject having a disorder characterized by aberrant 25869, 25934, 26335,50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933activity, or a subject at risk of developing a disorder characterized byaberrant 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839,49937, 49931 or 49933 activity, comprising administering to the subjecta 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937,49931 or 49933 modulator of the nucleic acid molecule defined in claim 1or the polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid molecule or contacting acell with a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulator.
 17. The method defined in claim16 wherein said disorder is a cellular proliferative and/ordifferentiative disorder, an angiogenic disorder, a brain disorder, aneurological disorder, a blood vessel disorder, a breast disorder, acolon disorder, a kidney disorder, a lung disorder, an ovarian disorder,a prostate disorder, a hematopoeitic disorder, a pancreatic disorder, askeletal muscle disorder, a skin disorder, a hormonal disorder, animmune e.g., inflammatory, disorder, a cardiovascular disorder, a lipidhomeostasis disorder, an endothelial cell disorder, a liver disorder, adisorder of the small intestine, a pain disorder, a viral disease, ametabolic disorder, bone metabolism disorders or platelet disorders. 18.The method of claim 16, wherein the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117,38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulator is a) asmall molecule; b) peptide; c) phosphopeptide; d) anti-25869, 25934,26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933antibody; e) a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide comprising the amino acidsequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, ora fragment thereof; f) a 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692,46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 polypeptide comprising anamino acid sequence which is at least 90 percent identical to the aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or71, wherein the percent identity is calculated using the ALIGN programfor comparing amino acid sequences, a PAM120 weight residue table, a gaplength penalty of 12, and a gap penalty of 4; or g) an isolatednaturally occurring allelic variant of a polypeptide consisting of theamino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64,68 or 71, wherein the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid moleculewhich hybridizes to a complement of a nucleic acid molecule consistingof SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63, 67 or 70 at 6×SSC at45° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.19. The method of claim 16, wherein the 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365,21117, 38692, 46508, 16816, 16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 modulator is a)an antisense 25869, 25934, 26335, 50365, 21117, 38692, 46508, 16816,16839, 49937, 49931 or 49933 nucleic acid molecule; b) is a ribozyme; c)the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42,63, 67 or 70 or a fragment thereof; d) a nucleic acid molecule encodinga polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence which is at least 90percent identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21,26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, wherein the percent identity iscalculated using the ALIGN program for comparing amino acid sequences, aPAM120 weight residue table, a gap length penalty of 12, and a gappenalty of 4; e) a nucleic acid molecule encoding a naturally occurringallelic variant of a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence ofSEQ ID NO:2, 8, 17, 21, 26, 29, 36, 40, 43, 64, 68 or 71, wherein thenucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a complement of a nucleic acidmolecule consisting of SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 16, 20, 25, 28, 35, 39, 42, 63,67 or 70 at 6×SSC at 45° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.2×SSC,0.1% SDS at 65° C.; or f) a gene therapy vector.